History

Japan 1868 - Site on relations between France and Japan in 1867-1869.
http://membres.lycos.fr/japon1868/

Japanese Militarism & Diaoyutai (Senkaku) Island - Essay by a Kyoto University professor attacking Japanese nationalism and asserting that the Diaoyutai islands are rightfully China's.
http://www.skycitygallery.com/japan/diaohist.html

Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan - Essay on Hirohito and the Japanese government coming to grips with Japan's decision to go to war and their post-war relationship with the United States.
http://www.jpri.org/publications/occasionalpapers/op17.html

Business and Politics in Early 20th Century Japan - Seeks to clarify the contributions and limitations of Japanese business diplomacy. Argues that Japanese business diplomacy, was insufficiently influential to prevent political and military conflict. [PDF]
http://ideas.repec.org/p/cep/stijsp/429.html

Constitution of the Empire of Japan (1889) - Full text in English of Japan's former constitution, from Hanover University.
http://history.hanover.edu/texts/1889con.htm

Timeline of Japanese History - Brief outline of historical periods from the Jomon Period to the present.
http://www.askasia.org/teachers/essays/essay.php?no=131/

Japan Center for Asian Historical Records - Provides electronic access to digital images of historical records about modern Japan-Asia relations held by Japanese national institutions. Includes records held by the National Archives of Japan, the Diplomatic Record Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Institute for Defense Studies of the National Defense Agency. Time period: early Meiji (1867-1912) era through World War II. In English and Japanese.
http://www.jacar.go.jp/english/index.html

Evolution of Japanese Stamps - Chronicles the development of Japanese stamps from 1929.
http://www.ambassadors.net/features.htm

Nengo Dates - Offers quick conversion from the traditional Japanese calendar system from 1868 to the Gregorian calendar.
http://www.lioncoins.com/dates.htm

Ao's Japan - Overview and introduction to attractions, temples and shrines, brief guide of major cities, history, nuclear radiation and environmental issues.
http://www005.upp.so-net.ne.jp/aoh/

The Confusion Era - Describes postwar American involvement in remodeling Japanese society, along with pictures of several posters used for information and propaganda.
http://educate.si.edu/migrations/sackler/salthome.html

Japanese History - History of Japan. Overview, and ancient to modern Japan
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e641.html

Manifestations of Gender Distinction in the Japanese Language - Explains historical development of the Japanese language and diversity of its gender specific constructs and their usage.
http://www.coolest.com/jpfm.htm

Emperor Hirohito in 20th Century History: The Debate Rekindles - Examines a new debate on Hirohito and his role in WWII and history, and as at once a product and an active agent of Japan's modern historical process.
http://www.jpri.org/publications/workingpapers/wp92.html

History of Cultural Relations Between Europe and Japan - Sources, data, tables, texts related to the history of Euro-Japanese interchange, from Prof. Wolfgang Michel-Zaitsu.
http://www.flc.kyushu-u.ac.jp/~michel/serv/eujap/

Association for the Advancement of Liberalist View of History - Provides a revisionist view of topics on 20th century Japanese history and military, reparations, comfort women, and their movement to remove war crime references in textbooks.
http://www.jiyuu-shikan.org/e/

History Textbook Controversies in Japan - Provides full-text access to the ERIC Digest of this name which looks at Japanese textbooks and how they cover Japanese history from the early 20th Century.
http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-1/japan.htm

100 Years of Japanese Motoring - Provides little known history of the start of motorized transportation in Japan.
http://www.st.rim.or.jp/~iwat/

Secret of Sakhalin Island (Karafuto) - Overview of history and discovery of Sakhalin Island (Karafuto), one of the territories still disputed between Japan and Russia.
http://www.karafuto.com/

Aspects of Japanese Shipping History - Outlines trends in the development of Japan's commercial shipping prior to World War I. Argues that the promotion of the industry was undertaken primarily not for commercial, but for strategic imperialist reasons.
http://ideas.repec.org/p/cep/stijsp/376.html

Politics and the Economy in Pre-War Japan - Discusses the influences that led to the economic policies pursued in the interwar period. [PDF]
http://ideas.repec.org/p/cep/stijsp/381.html

History of Japanese Railways - Chronological listing of railroads from 1872 to 1907 (the first line, redcap, women employed, and horsedrawn). A few illustrations, including a print of an 1870s train.
http://www.rtri.or.jp/japanrail/History1_E.html

The Imperial Family of Japan - Provides biographical information, pictures, genealogical tables, and legal documents on the current status of the imperial family.
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Temple/3953/

Japanese History Documentation Project - Includes an encyclopedia, introduction to Japanese history, and booklists.
http://www.openhistory.org/jhdp/

Japan Under American Occupation - Brief notes on the role played by the United States during the Allied occupation of Japan from September 1945 through 1952.
http://www.empereur.com/DOC/Japan_occup.html

Ogasawara Clan Genealogy - Genealogical information of the descendants of the Ogasawara clan from 711 BC to the present.
http://members.aol.com/uchuujin/oga.html

Whale Meat in the Traditional Japanese Diet - From the Jomon period to 1987.
http://luna.pos.to/whale/jwa_trad.html

MIT Visualizing Cultures -- Japan - Visual culture (art, photography, video, etc) of Japan since the mid-19th century. The aim of the collection, created by Pulitzer-Prize winner John Dower, is to gain new perspectives on "cultures" in the broadest sense. "Cultures" include Westernization, modernization, changing modes of technology and mass communication, imperialism, nationalism, militarism, racism, commercialization and consumerism. Begins with the black ships of Commodore Perry and ends with pictures by A-bomb survivors.
http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027j/menu/index.html

Japanese Historical Text Initiative - Digitized, searchable database of important Japanese historical documents, with English translations. Includes ancient chronicles such as the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, medieval stories such as Okagami, and documents of the modern Japanese state such as Kokutai no Hongi (Principles of Nation-body).
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/JHTI/

Fukuzawa Yukichi - Short college essay on Fukuzawa, who was one of the Meiji Era's most influential figures.
http://www.anime.net/~roba/fukuzawa.htm

Largest Cities in Japan: Population from 1890 - Shows populations in major Japanese cities every decade from 1890.
http://www.demographia.com/db-jp-city1940.htm

Great Japanese Inventors in History - List and description of several Meiji Era Japanese inventors, with descriptions of in their creations and biographies.
http://www.batfa.com/greatjapanese.html

Dancing People are Happy People - Essay on the introduction of square dancing to the people of Nagasaki in 1946 and its increase of social mixing between sexes and cultures.
http://www.uwosh.edu/home_pages/faculty_staff/earns/niblo.html

Holeless 50 Yen Coin - A senior citizen recalls the history of the 50 yen coin in the 1950's when it had no hole in the center.
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~HD1t-KKC/50yen-e.html

Imperial Japanese Navy Page - Contains pictures of former vessels in the wartime navy, as well as information on their guns, torpedoes, sensors, names, and officers.
http://www.combinedfleet.com/

The Currency Museum - Bank of Japan virtual museum exhibit of old currency in Japan, as well as money used during Japan's colonial empire.
http://www.imes.boj.or.jp/cm/english_htmls/index.htm