Early 20th century Japan and its citizens had witnessed an era of incredible changes and growth. The nation of Japan accelerated into the modern world with great speed, and began to find itself filled with new ideas and roles, both internally and internationally. In the 15-year period between 1905 through 1920, Japan experienced many of these numerous lifestyle and international changes. To make it easier to follow Japan's changing environment, the period between 1905 and 1920 will be divided into two sections: the late Meiji and the early-mid Taisho, with focus on the national, international, economical, and social sections for each period.
By the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, Japan was looked upon the world as a minor player, especially by the west. After the war however, Japan proved to the world that an asian country can be victorious against the might of the industrialized west. The citizens of Japan welcomed this change, and a feeling of pride went through the country. The governement of Japan felt they were now equals to Europe, and by mid 1910 had accumulated enough land holdings in Asia to consider themselves as a colonial power. Their identity in the eyes of the people became one of strength in the pacific. They no longer felt that they had to hide in the shadow of Europe or China.
International relations grew into a friendly/threat relationship during this time as Japan tried to increase its position and status among the Asian mainland, and indeed this is where most of the effort was put into. After the Russo-Japanese war ended, Japan took numerous steps to gain a foothold in China and Manchuria. Japan became Korea's "Protectorate", a major victory for Japan. This limited the threat of the "dagger" of Korea pointing towards the "heart" of Japan. It also provides resources, which Japan can use to strengthen its own economy, and to provide living room for an expanding population. Also after the war, the Portsmouth treaty granted the southern half of Sakhalin Island as well as Linodong Peninsula. The latter was extremely important for Japanese moral, since many citizens felt the peninsula was stolen from them by world powers after the Sino-Japanese war.
Other after-affects of the Russo-Japanese war continued well beyond the Portsmouth treaty. Japan had now become a world power and a major influential player in east Asia. Gains in Manchuria, especially the railroads, divided Manchuria and gave the Japanese what they really wanted; a foothold into continental China itself, including the vast resources that could expand Japan's economy beyond expectations. The United States, however, limited its thrust into China with the Open Door policy, which left China as an independent nation state. The U.S. also talked the Japanese into leaving the Philippines to the Americans, controlling their expansion south.
The economy in Japan saw raised taxes, price and wage control, and huge military expenditures along with high deficits and high inflation, caused by the war with Russia. This in turn led to poverty and numerous strikes by shipyards, miners, and arsenals. The situation was not helped by the fact that Japan spent huge sums of money on the conflict, and received no indemnities from Russia afterwards, virtually drying up Japan's coffers. After the war there was a rise in the traditional market as Japan opened itself up to the world. In Europe and America, demand for traditional items like tea, silk, and other goods rose greatly, and Japan increased this exporting by allowing larger companies, the zaibatsu, to expand and build up, producing huge quantities of goods for sell, and with an increase in the size of its shipping.
Social issues around this time included the rise of political parties, though their influence was limited at best due to the strong influence of the Emperor and the Genro. Newspapers and pamphlets were on the rise, as was communism and socialism, due in part to greater outside influence and because wages and conditions did not improve much during this period. In their need to expand and produce more products, companies were working their employees rather hard, and the government did little to intervene since they too benefited from greater production. A women’s movement had continue to rise behind popular labor unions, but suffrage for the common male always lead the women’s movement and made it difficult to truly change things.
The Taisho period saw quite a bit of change in how the government worked. The Emperor was ineffective as a ruler, and true power went to the Genro and political parties. The Terauchi government increased military spending during the First World War. In 1918 the Hara government took over, creating the first government not led by a Genro. It was a populist government, but ended in 1921 when members of the right wing assassinated Hara. This was later followed by the Kato and Tanaka governments.
Japan’s relations with the west grew due to its high exportation of traditional goods. This however stopped during WWI when the western powers stopped requesting traditional goods and demanded weapons. This was very important for Japan, for at the beginning of the war the economy was falling due to agricultural limits being reached and price stagnation. Japan was all too happy to make use of the war by joining on the side of the Allies, and used this position to their advantage when they attempted to issue a set of 21 demands of China while the European backs were turned. This deteriorated relations with the west somewhat, and while Japan was still considered a major power, they could not gain equal racial footing with the Europeans, as demonstrated in the Versailles conference, where Japan was not granted racial equality among the member nations.
By not actively fighting, Japan expanded its industrial sectors, and by mid-war it’s exports in this sector skyrocketed, bringing in huge sums of money. After the war the economy fell however since the traditional sector was gravely weakened, and the Rice Riots exploded in the 1918’s. Following this was the Great Earthquake, which did little to help the situation. By the 1920’s, the wartime boom died down, causing a 25% reduction in exports (Hane, 224).
In reaction to the busts, companies shut down and many workers were laid off. Socialists and anarchists led by Sakai Toshihiko and Osugi Sakae moved into the labor fields where discontent was high. Towards 1920, reforms such as 8-hour workdays achieved by the workers from Kobe shipyards became more frequent, and in 1920 the first May Day demonstration appeared in Tokyo. The Taisho period was also known as the height of political parties in Japan, as by this time the Genro realized they needed those same parties to satisfy the people as well as their own pockets, since the parties supplied a good deal of the costs to run the government. I-novels had also been increasing in frequency as more young men and women expressed themselves and their views by using this non-traditional approach which focused on the individual rather than the society. The women’s movement was still slow to grow, and many women and children were still required to work long hours in factories. Two notable women to appear around the 1920’s was Tanno Setsu, a socialist, and the rebellious Kaneko Fumiko.
By the 1920’s onward the situation in Japan turned increasingly militaristic, and the political parties began to lose sway in favor of more power central authority. Yet, in the 15-year period citizens were for the first time able to experiment with new ideas and ways of thinking and interacting. These vital years would be progressive for Japan, and should be dully noted how it affected the lives and views of these island people.