Electronics in Japan

Japan has developed into one of the most well known countries for their excellence and knowledge in electronics. Electronics have revolutionized the way the rest of the world sees Japan. An individual must understand the history of both Japan and electronics, before one can fully understand the impact electronics had on Japan. Electronics have socially and morally impacted the country of Japan since the beginning of electronics.

The first inhabitants of Japan's history go all the way back to 13000 BC. From 13000 BC to 300 BC is known as the Jomon Period, the name comes from the pottery during that era. The civilians during this period are known for their fishing, hunting, and gatherers. The next period, 300 BC to 300 AD, is known as the Yayoi Period. This was a vital period for the culture of Japan, with agriculture being introduced, social classes started to evolve. The most valuable advancement in Japan's agriculture was the import of rice, which took place around 100 BC. It was during this time the introduction of iron, and several other modern ideas were brought to Japan. During 300AD to 538 AD, known as the Kofun Period, a centralized power was developed. The province Yamato became the heart of all political issues by 400 AD. Japan united as Yamato Japan, during this period several political leaders played essential roles in Japan's political system. The era name Kofun, originates from the large tombs that were built for these political leaders. The emperor, which is the ruler of Yamato Japan, was moved from one city to another quite frequently to provide extra security precautions. In 538 AD Buddhism was introduced to the Japan by the kingdom of Kudara. Several other technologies were introduced during the Yamato era, such as the Chinese writing system and theories of Confucianism. The Yamato period came to an end in 645 AD, when Nakatomi no Kamatari began the era of the Fujiwara Clan. This era lasted until the rise of the samurai military class in the 11th century.

The Nara and Heian period from 710 AD - 1185 AD was a revolutionary time for Japan. A lot of the Chinese influenced ideas that were used in Japan slowly started to decline, and the country began to be more "Japanized." (Japan History). The first stable capital was established in the city of Nara, and several other governmental buildings were built during this period. The arts of Japan became popular during this time, and led to the creation of actual Japanese literature. Large Buddhist monasteries were built in front of the capital building and quickly gained strong political influence. The strong influence caused by the monasteries put the emperor in an unsafe environment, in order to protect the emperor the capital was moved to Heian in 794. The worst characteristic of this newly formed governmental system was the high taxation on land. The high taxes led to several farmers having to sell their land, and become land tenants of the land they once owned. This soon caused the political power to shift from the centralized government to large land owners. The most famous family during this time was the Fujiwara family. They controlled all political issues for several centuries until their power came to a peak in 1016. The Fujiwara leaders began to decline, which resulted in the creation of the military class. Since there were no Fujiwara leaders around to maintain public order, several land owners hired samurais to protect their land. In 1068 the Fujiwara supremacy came to an end when Go-Sanjo was determined the emperor of the country.

The Kamakura period from 1192 - 1333, was a crucial time in the governmental system in Japan. In 1192 a new government called Kamakura Bakufu was created when Minamoto Yoritomo was chosen as shogun. The new government was more efficient than the previous ones, and worked well under Japan's conditions. When Yoritomo died in 1199, fighting over the power started between the Bakufu of Kamakura and the Imperial court in Kyoto. The battle for superiority came to an end in 1221 when Kamakura defeated the Imperial army. In 1274 the Mongols first invasion attempt was made on Japan after several of their threatening messages were ignored. The Mongols made more attempts at invading Japan, but like the others were forced to pull back. The invasions were harmful for Kamakura's economic because of all the expenditures used to protect them from the Mongols. The decrease in loyalty and financial problems were some of the factors that led to the fall of the Kamakura government in 1333. The Muromachi period's name comes from the district the government building were located in. During this period two imperial courts were developed, a North and a South, and they fought against each several times. It was not until 1392 when the South finally gave in and the country became powered by an emperor again. In 1598 Tokugawa leyasu became the most powerful man in Japan. Tokugawa stressed the importance of morals, hierarchical order in government and social classes, and education. (Japan History) "Tokugawa rule brought to Japan an unprecedented 250 years of peace" (Hunter 267). A major accomplishment by leyasu was establishing relations with the Dutch and the English, and implementing the restraint and discrimination of Christianity from 1614 on. The Tokugawa era lasted for several centuries and had a dramatic effect on Japan, but started to decline for numerous reasons. During the 18th century a lot of pressure was put on Japan because of a lot of failed trade attempts setup with the Russians, Americans, and the European nations.

One of the most well known attacks on America is Pearl Harbor. On December 7th, 1941, Japan attacked the Americans in the Pacific and was able to expand their control of territory. They were able to expand to the boarder of India and New Guinea within the following six months. The most crucial war for Japan was the battle of Midway, which was the turning point for Japan. The United States started air attacks on Japan in 1944, and invaded Okinawa in 1945. The battle in Okinawa was one of the bloodiest battles of the war. The US military dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th and 9th. The two bombs were dropped right in the heart of Japan, and finally caused Japan to surrender on August 14th, 1945. The aftermath of war left Japan as a devastated country. In all of the major cities the transportation systems were damaged, and there was a severe shortage of food for the next few years. As soon as Japan surrendered in the war over 500 of Japan's military officers committed suicide. The remaining war machines were destroyed, and hundreds of war crime trails were held. Emperor Showa executed hundreds of militants for committing war crimes. All of the land that was acquired through 1894 was lost to the