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Japan: United States
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Under the Constitution of Japan the Emperor is the symbol of the state, but he has no powers related to government. He performs only those acts that are stipulated in the Constitution, such as appointing the prime minister and the chief justice of the Supreme Court as designated by the Diet and the cabinet, respectively, and performing on behalf of the people such acts as promulgating laws and treaties, convoking the Diet, and awarding honors-all on the advice and approval of the cabinet. Present Emperor Akihito was born in Tokyo on December 23, 1933, the first son of Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako.
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The beginning of modern day Japan can be dated to the invention of the flush toilet. The inventor, Chīsai Surippā-san, was given the Deming award for this achievement and has been widely given folk hero status. He is currently being considered for beatification as the patron saint of quality electronic products and large feet.
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A major economic power,[2] Japan has the world's second largest economy by nominal GDP. It is a member of the United Nations, G8, G4 and APEC, with the world's fifth largest defense budget. It is ... the world's fourth largest exporter and sixth largest importer and a world leader in technology and machinery.
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At the Washington Conference of 1921–1922, Japan agreed to respect Chinese national integrity, but, in 1931, it invaded Manchuria. The following year, Japan set up this area as a puppet state, “Manchukuo,” under Emperor Henry Pu-Yi, the last of China's Manchu dynasty. On Nov. 25, 1936, Japan joined the Axis. The invasion of China came the next year, followed by the Pearl Harbor attack on the U.S. on Dec. 7, 1941. Japan won its first military engagements during the war, extending its power over a vast area of the Pacific. Yet, after 1942, the Japanese were forced to retreat, island by island, to their own country.
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With the opening of Japan and the numerous foreign influences now pouring in, the over-200-year stability of the Tokugawa government began to falter in the face of pro-feudal and pro-Western factionalism. With the Meiji Revolution (1868) came bunmei kaika (civilization and enlightenment), a time of officially promoted modernization that encouraged the proliferation of photo studios; by 1880 there were over 150 in Tokyo alone. The state ... began to make direct use of photography. In 1872 an edict was passed to put the Emperor Meiji's portrait, taken by Kuichi Uchida (1844-75), in every school. In 1871 a government-sponsored expedition to survey and develop land on the northern island of Hokkaido included photographers to record progress and help publicize it to prospective settlers. The principal photographer involved was Kenzo Tamoto (1832-1912).
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The first strong Japanese state was centered in Nara (8th c.), moving later to Kyoto and Kamakura until Japan descended into the anarchy of the Warring States period in the 15th century. Tokugawa Ieyasu finally reunified the country in 1600 and founded the Tokugawa shogunate, a feudal state ruled from Edo, or modern-day Tokyo. A strict caste system was imposed, with the Shogun and his samurai warriors at the top of the heap and no social mobility permitted.
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