JAPAN’S ROAD TO WAR

During the mid-1850s the United States opened feudal Japan to trade with the Western world. From its earliest awakening to the international community Japan rapidly industrialised and began to exert influence beyond its own borders. In less than a century, Japanese leaders began to perceive their culture and people as preeminent on the continent of Asia as well as across the vast Pacific rim.

By the early 20th century, Japan had emerged as an Asian power with global reach, shocking