Empire of Japan

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/empire-of-japan

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What was the Meiji Restoration and why did it help Japan become powerful?It was a change in 1868 that turned Japan from a feudal society into a modern industrial country, using Western ideas to build a strong army and economy.
2. Why did Japan want to take over places like Taiwan and Korea?Japan needed land and resources for its growing industry and army, so it annexed Taiwan in 1895 and Korea in 1910 after winning wars.

Meiji Restoration: A political revolution in 1868 that restored imperial rule and initiated rapid modernization and Westernization in Japan.
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere: An imperial concept promoted by Japan during the 1930s and 1940s, advocating for a self-sufficient bloc of Asian nations led by Japan.
Pacifist Constitution: Article 9 of Japan's post-war constitution renounces war and the threat of force as means of settling international disputes.