Japanese Empire | |
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1868-194? | |
Flag | |
Motto | Hakkō Ichiu |
Anthem | Kimigayo |
Capital | Tokyo |
Language | Japanese |
Demonym | Japanese, Imperial Japanese |
Government | Absolute Monarchy and Single-Party State |
Area | ? |
Population | ? |
Currency | Japanese Yen |
Successor(s) |
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The Japanese Empire (大日本帝國 Dai Nippon Teikoku, literally "Great Japanese Empire") was an empire and world power that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the occupation and division of Japan on DD/MM/YYYY.
Imperial Japan's rapid industrialization and militarization under the slogan Fukoku Kyōhei (富国強兵, "Enrich the Country, Strengthen the Army") led to its emergence as a world power, eventually culminating in the conquest of a large part of the Asia-Pacific region. At the height of its power in 1942, the Empire of Japan ruled over a land area spanning ? square kilometres (? sq mi), making it one of the largest maritime empires in history.
After several large-scale military successes during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1939) and the Pacific War, the Empire of Japan also gained notoriety for its war crimes against the peoples of the countries it conquered. After suffering many defeats and the invasion of the Home Islands, however, the Empire of Japan surrendered to the Allies on DD/MM/YYYY. A period of occupation by the Allied Pact followed the surrender, and two new states, East and West Japan, were created from the occupation zones.
The Emperors during this time, which spanned the entire Meiji, Taishō, and Shōwa eras, are now known in Japan by their posthumous names, which coincide with those era names: Emperor Meiji (Mutsuhito), Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito), and Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito).