Modern Japanese History

Harvard FAS

This course consists of two parts. During the first half of the course, we will examine Japan’s modernization and industrialization projects after the “opening of Japan” (1853) and the Meiji Restoration, Japan’s early empire, and the Asia-Pacific War (1937-1945). Next, we will learn about contemporary Japanese history, which begins with the Allied Occupation of Japan (1945-1952), and continues until the present day. Many of the themes covered in this course include imperialism, Japanese…