Hajimemashite Japan: Isolation and Openness (Part 1)

Japanese history has been characterized by a cycle involving the opening and closing its borders. In the 9th century, it cut all contacts with neighboring nations, isolating itself for three centuries. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Japan again showed hostility towards all foreign influences, especially as regarded religious and commercial issues. The Tokugawa Shogunate, a military dictatorship that lasted 250 years, reinforced Japanese values and culture until the Emperor Meiji (1868-1912) led Japan out of a rural-based feudal age of isolation and into modern statehood. Japan was opened to the world. In 1905, it began to stake its claim as a colonial and military power with victories over Russia and China. Then, it occupied the Korean peninsula, Taiwan, southern Manchuria and Sakhalin Island. The "retired Meiji samurai" had successfully returned to the art of war. In 1941, it attacked the United States and occupied an important part of Southeast Asia. The Japanese military adventure was part of the Second World War and left the nation in ruins. It was devastated and defeated militarily.

Despite being the only nation-state to be attacked with atomic weapons, Japan was able to rebuild its economy in less than 50 years. It was rebuilt and has become an industrial and financial power. At the international level, it is an actor who has promoted cooperation and peace between nations.

The wealth of Japan is in its people, whereas only 12% of its land is arable. It is a nation resting mainly on volcanic rock in its four islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu). It has almost 30,000 km of coastline. The values that characterize Japanese society can be summarized in four pillars: perseverance, competitiveness, dedication and civic responsibility.