-infuse new ideas with myths of Jap= anese ancient traditions

-many of th= ese myths not true but still persist to this day

-Emperor had always been a mystical figure, but had never been central to the government, hadn't been central to culture either

-Shintoism established as a state religion, emperor given all kinds of ceremonial role= s in central government (head Diet, hand down constitution)

-Shintoism = had existed as well as Buddhism and Confucianism - was more a cultural reflecti= on of the balance of nature - not very elaborated, not much reference to after= life

-Japanese l= eaders looked at Western culture, observed the strength of Christianity (even considered adopting it nationally) but ultimately decided to take Shintoism= and transform it into a state religion somewhat modeled on Catholicism, monarch= y, CINC

-i.e. Emper= or =3D pope/monarch/generalissimo

-Amaterasu =3D sun goddess - descen= ded down to earth, created islands of Japan, was first empress - royal line then pas= sed down through male lineage, therefore emperor is a descendant of Amaterasu

Emperors since the Meiji Restoration

-Meiji

-Taisho

-Hirohito (= Showa)

-Heisei (cu= rrent)

-Crown Prin= ce - wife is Masako Owada (she is an accomplished woman, diplomat)

-they have a three-year-old girl, no male heir yet

-emperor becomes the rallying point behind unifying Japan, the symbol of Japanese strength, emperor worship bec= omes common practice, indoctrinated in schools

-becomes a central concept of Japanese nationality, patriotism

-kamikaze p= ilots write poems about dying for emperor

-patriotism= - aishinkoku - becomes a central theme of schooling

-recently, = mayor of Tokyo espoused the ideals of aishinkoku and asserted it should be put ba= ck into schooling

-Japanese p= eople currently ambivalent about aishinkoku

Eco= nomic Ideas

-adopts many capitalist practices

-Japan needs to enter world trade m= arket (does not have many natural resources)

-industrializes quickly

-textile industry, major exports are initially silk and green tea

-since Great Britain and Russia -biggest tea drinkers in world - drank black tea, 80-90%= of green tea exports went to U.S.

-in 1890s, = U.S. consumer trend shifts toward black tea, hurts Japanese exports

-not only about monetary gains - industrialization is also important in building a strong military

-builds up a steel industry

-looks to G= erman model of industrialization - government provides a great deal of capital to= the private industries, develops close government-industry ties

-leads to b= ig corporation conglomerates (zaibots) - like Mitsubishi

-zaibots se= t up more plants in areas of Japanese control (i.e. Korea, Manchuria)

-in 1930s, rise of militarism, anti-Western ideas is paralleled in Germany and Japan

-Japanese e= ven adopt some anti-Semitism (not many Jewish people in Asia)

West

-cold, mechanical place driven by m= arket

-materialistic, selfish, individual= istic

-hedonistic, corrupting

-democracy (deemed corrupting by Japanese)

Japanese Spirit

-warm, organic

-collective over individual, selfle= ss, self-sacrificing

-spiritual, duty to state

-filial piety

-militarism

Imm= igration

-lots of Japanese immigrated to Haw= aii, western coast of U.S.

-immigration encouraged by Japanese leaders - learn the ways of other people, then retur= n to share it with Japan

-also some immigration to Taiwan, K= orea, other parts of Asia

-in Hawaii, many Japanese worked on American-owned sugar plantations

-in California, meanwhile, many Jap= anese settled into small communities, farms, etc.

-by 1900, 400,000 Japanese had immi= grated to U.S.

-first-gene= ration Japanese known as issei

-second-gen= eration called nisei - American citizens by birth

-in California, huge backlash again= st the "yellow peril" - Japanese seen as dangerous, or even more dangero= us, than the Chinese - "too successful"

-people tho= ught they were taking away American jobs, American lands, etc.