193: The Empire of the Rising Sun: Military Imperialism in Japan (1853–1941)

2025-11-24

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“To be perfectly frank, the ways you and I look at the Chinese are fundamentally different. You seem to think of them as human, but I see them as pigs.” This is the origin story of the Empire of the Rising Sun. After an uninvited visit from one Commodore Matthew Perry and his four black ships, Japan opens its doors to the wider world, ending seven centuries of isolation. Picking up the best and the worst from the West, a new ruling class implements changes in everything from government structure to the mili...

“To be perfectly frank, the ways you and I look at the Chinese are fundamentally different. You seem to think of them as human, but I see them as pigs.”

This is the origin story of the Empire of the Rising Sun.

After an uninvited visit from one Commodore Matthew Perry and his four black ships, Japan opens its doors to the wider world, ending seven centuries of isolation. Picking up the best and the worst from the West, a new ruling class implements changes in everything from government structure to the military, and embraces the power of both industrialization and imperialism. A modernized Japan quickly expands, conquering Korea, and taking on bigger neighbors like China, and even Russia. And after the Great War, when the military decides to go deeper into China … all that’s needed is an “incident” to justify that.

But as the empire grows and atrocities like the “Rape of Nanjing” shock the world, Japan’s alliances with European fascist powers cause the US to become wary of their former favored-nation-status trading partner. And when Uncle Sam halts the sale of industrially necessary supplies like oil, Japan’s leaders feel backed into a corner. What will a proud, military-led nation do when it is cornered?

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