The Empire of Japan

[ShadesWolf]

Game details : Victoria - An empire under the sun is a paradox game set between 1836 and 1920.

Aims : MY aims are to attempt to create the empire of Japan as it was by 1920. This will require me to capture Korea, Manchuria, Taiwan and Karafuto. This might not seem to be that hard, however I am starting with no industrial capacity and only three ships. Research will be the biggest obsticle in my path. I intend to do a report after every 10 years, so we should have about 5 ish, depending on what happens along the way.

http://www.shadesmtw.com/aar/Japanese_Empire.png

Please enjoy.

[ShadesWolf]

Chapter 1 (background) The End of an era

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The Tokugawa shogunate had ruled Japan as a military dictatorship since 1603. Its rule was based on a strict class hierarchy. The warrior-caste of samurai were at the top, followed by farmers, artisans, and traders

The Tokugawa shogunate of the 1860’s ruled over a nation of 28 million people. Its reign was marked by incompetence and mismanagement, to save the shogunate from self-destruction, Tokugawa Keiki was nominated in 1862 to be a member of the 5-man council of elders. Keiki took numerous steps to quell the threat of rebellions. In 1864, he successfully defeated the Choshu forces in their attempt to capture the imperial gates in Hamaguri.

In 1866, the Shogun fell ill and died; this left the shogunate very weak and losing control, with no successor competent enough to save the government, Keiki became Shogun. Immediately upon his ascension, major changes were initiated. A massive government overhaul was undertaken to initiate reforms that would strengthen the Tokugawa government. In particular, assistance from France was organized, with the construction of the Yokosuka arsenal under Leonce Verny, and the dispatch of a French military mission to modernize the armies. A national army and navy were formed and the outlook was that the Tokugawa shogunate was gaining ground towards renewed strength and power.

This was a major concern for daimyo from other clans and especially the emperor. A secret alliance against the shogunate was formed in 1866 between Chōshū and Satsuma. In November 1867, Emperor Meiji had given the rebellious provinces of Satsuma and Choshu the right to overthrow the shogunate. The result of this rebellion was the Boshin War.

Events came to a head on January 3, 1868 when the forces of Chōshū and Satsuma seized the imperial palace. The emperor declared his own restoration to full power, and the war started seven days later when the Tokugawa Shogunate declared the declaration "illegal" and attacked Kyoto, the seat of the emperor. Despite a 3:1 numerical advantage and training by French military advisors, the first significant battle near Toba and Fushimi led to a rout of the 15,000-strong shogunate forces, and Yoshinobu was forced to flee to Edo. Saigo Takamori led the victorious imperial forces north and east through Japan, eventually leading to the unconditional surrender of Edo in May 1868. The surrender of Edo marked an end to Shogunate power.

The restoration of the emperor led to political and social change. The Empire of Japan has been born.

(most of this info has been taken from Wikipedia to give a background to the period)

[ShadesWolf]

CHAPTER 2 - The Empire of Japan
Imperialist faction 1868-1872 (PM Ito Hirobumi )

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The First elections of the Empire of Japan were on February 21 1868. Only people of Wealth were allowed to vote this meant the Aristocrats, Capitalists, Clery, Officers and Clerks. The Imperialist party won the election with 80.95% of the vote. Emperor Mutsuhito appointed Ito Hirobumi as the countries first Prime Minister.

On February 22 Ito Kiyotaka held the first cabinet meeting of the newly elected government of Japan. The meeting agreed factories were needed if they were to have any hope of becoming an industrialized nation. Japan did not have an abundance of natural resources so careful thought needed to be given to this. Discussions were also undertaken regarding the possibility of colonization, building railways and improving the navy.

These discussions made it quite clear what industries were needed to achieve this, namely Steel, Cement and Lumber. The one resource the country did have an abundance of was Grain. It was therefore decided to produce liquor and glass factories. Trade could now begin with foreign nations.

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By 1869 all factories were build, manned and running. Resources were low and the steel, cement and glass factories did run well below planned rates of output and efficiency. To cure this problem more coal was required.

The Coal Crisis

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Japans Industrialization will depend on how much coal can be produced from the coal mines of Japan, and also how much can be purchased on the open market. Currently she needs an extra 30% to meet full demand

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The empire of Japan has three provinces that produce coal. One is on the north Island of Hokkaido and the other two are on the south western island of Kyushu

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With three factories demanding coal, if Japan wishes to reach full production she will need more coal. But the question is how will this be achieved.

[ShadesWolf]

Chapter 3 A Time for War

The second elections of the Empire of Japan were on November 24 21 1872. The Imperialist party also won this election. Ito Hirobumi was retained as the countries Prime Minister.

To be continued....