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Autarky
Economic self-sufficiency, where a state aims to produce all goods and resources domestically rather than relying on international trade. Pursued by fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, and the USSR.
Bushido
The moral code of the samurai stressing honor, loyalty, and bravery.
Kokutai
The concept of Japan's unique national identity or "national polity," centred on the divine emperor. Ultranationalists used kokutai ideology to justify military expansion and suppress political dissent.
Kwantung Army
Japanese military force stationed in Manchuria that initiated the 1931 invasion, defying civilian authority.
Lytton Commission
A League of Nations inquiry led by Lord Lytton (Britain), appointed in December 1931 to investigate the Manchurian Crisis and determine whether Japan's military actions were justified.
Manchukuo
Japanese-controlled puppet state established in Manchuria in 1932, ruled nominally by the last Qing emperor, Puyi.
Manchuria
a region in northeastern China rich in resources, contested by Japan and Russia.
Meiji Restoration
Political revolution in Japan (1868) that restored imperial power and modernization.
Militarism
The belief that the military should dominate politics and national policy, often justified by claims of national destiny.
Pan-Asianism
An ideological movement that promotes the unity, solidarity, and cooperation of Asian peoples and nations. It emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, largely in response to Western imperialism in Asia. In Japan, Pan-Asianism was used to justify imperial expansion, especially in China, Korea, and later across Southeast Asia.
Tokugawa Shogunate
Military government that unified Japan and ruled for over 250 years.
Twenty-One Demands (1915)
A set of demands imposed on China by Japan to expand its political and economic control, provoking international criticism.
Ultranationalism
An extreme form of nationalism that glorifies the nation and seeks expansion through conquest.
Zaibatsu
a large Japanese business conglomerate