World History Timeline

Countries / East Asia

History of Japan

43 notable historical events in Japan, in chronological order.

War · 19Politics · 15Dynasty · 2Treaty · 5Revolution · 1Technology · 1Exploration · 1Religion · 3Culture · 5Art · 2Economy · 2Disaster · 3Death · 1

6th century

  1. c. 538★★★★★

    Buddhism introduced to Japan

    By tradition, a king of Baekje sends Buddhist images and scriptures to the Yamato court, beginning Buddhism's spread in Japan.

    Religion· Japan, South Korea

7th century

  2. 645★★★★★

    Taika Reform

    The Japanese court launches reforms modelled on Tang China, centralising power around the emperor.

    Politics· Japan

8th century

  2. 712★★★★★

    Kojiki compiled

    The Kojiki, Japan's oldest surviving chronicle, is presented to the imperial court.

    CultureReligion· Japan
  3. 794★★★★★

    Capital moved to Heian-kyō (Kyoto)

    Emperor Kanmu moves the capital to Heian-kyō, beginning the Heian period, a golden age of Japanese court culture.

    PoliticsCulture· Japan

11th century

  1. c. 1010★★★★★

    The Tale of Genji written

    Court lady Murasaki Shikibu writes The Tale of Genji, often considered one of the world's first novels.

    ArtCulture· Japan

12th century

  1. 1185★★★★★

    Battle of Dan-no-ura

    The decisive naval battle of the Genpei War, in which the Minamoto clan destroys the Taira.

    War· Japan
  2. 1192★★★★★

    Minamoto no Yoritomo becomes shōgun

    Minamoto no Yoritomo is appointed shōgun, consolidating the Kamakura shogunate, Japan's first warrior government.

    PoliticsDynasty· Japan

13th century

  1. 1274 – 1281★★★★★

    Mongol invasions of Japan

    The Yuan twice sends fleets against Japan, in 1274 and 1281, and both fail; the storms involved become known as kamikaze ('divine winds').

    War· Japan, China, South Korea

15th century

  1. 1467 – 1477★★★★★

    Ōnin War

    A civil war that devastates Kyoto, weakens the Ashikaga shogunate and begins Japan's Sengoku (Warring States) period.

    War· Japan

16th century

  1. 1582★★★★★

    Honnō-ji Incident

    Oda Nobunaga, who was unifying Japan, is betrayed by his general Akechi Mitsuhide and dies at Honnō-ji temple in Kyoto.

    PoliticsDeath· Japan
  2. 1592 – 1598★★★★★

    Japanese invasions of Korea (Imjin War)

    Toyotomi Hideyoshi twice invades Korea; Joseon and Ming forces, with Admiral Yi Sun-sin's navy, eventually repel the Japanese.

    War· South Korea, Japan, China
  3. October 21, 1600★★★★★

    Battle of Sekigahara

    Tokugawa Ieyasu defeats his rivals, paving the way for the Tokugawa shogunate's 250-year rule over Japan.

    War· Japan

17th century

  1. 1603★★★★★

    Tokugawa shogunate established

    Tokugawa Ieyasu is appointed shōgun and establishes his government at Edo, opening more than 250 years of Edo-period peace.

    PoliticsDynasty· Japan
  2. 1639 – 1853★★★★★

    Japan's sakoku isolation policy

    The shogunate expels the Portuguese and severely restricts foreign contact, allowing only Dutch and Chinese trade at Nagasaki.

    PoliticsEconomy· Japan

19th century

  2. July 8, 1853★★★★★

    Perry Expedition arrives in Japan

    U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's 'Black Ships' enter Edo Bay, pressing Japan to end its isolation policy.

    PoliticsExploration· Japan, United States
  3. January 3, 1868★★★★★

    Meiji Restoration

    Power is restored to Emperor Meiji, ending the shogunate and launching Japan's rapid modernisation.

    PoliticsRevolution· Japan
  5. February 11, 1889★★★★★

    Meiji Constitution promulgated

    Emperor Meiji promulgates Japan's first constitution, establishing a constitutional monarchy with a parliament.

    Politics· Japan
  6. 1894 – 1895★★★★★

    First Sino-Japanese War

    Japan defeats Qing China in a war over influence in Korea, establishing itself as a rising Asian power.

    War· China, Japan, South Korea
  7. April 17, 1895★★★★★

    Treaty of Shimonoseki

    The Qing cede Taiwan and the Penghu Islands to Japan and recognise Korean independence.

    Treaty· China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea

20th century

  1. February 8, 1904 – September 5, 1905★★★★★

    Russo-Japanese War

    Japan defeats the Russian Empire in a war over Manchuria and Korea, the first modern victory of an Asian power over a European one.

    War· Japan, Russia, China, South Korea
  2. 1905 – 1909★★★★★

    Đông Du movement

    Phan Bội Châu organises sending young Vietnamese to study in Japan to prepare for the independence struggle.

    PoliticsCulture· Vietnam, Japan
  3. August 29, 1910★★★★★

    Japan annexes Korea

    The Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty takes effect, making Korea a Japanese colony until 1945.

    PoliticsTreaty· South Korea, North Korea, Japan
  4. September 1, 1923★★★★★

    Great Kantō earthquake

    A powerful earthquake and ensuing fires devastate Tokyo and Yokohama, killing more than 100,000 people.

    Disaster· Japan
  5. September 18, 1931★★★★★

    Mukden Incident

    Japan's Kwantung Army stages a railway explosion near Mukden as a pretext for invading Manchuria.

    War· China, Japan
  6. July 7, 1937★★★★★

    Marco Polo Bridge Incident

    A clash between Japanese and Chinese troops near Beijing begins the full-scale Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945).

    War· China, Japan
  7. December 13, 1937 – 1938★★★★★

    Nanjing Massacre

    After capturing Nanjing, the Imperial Japanese Army kills large numbers of Chinese prisoners and civilians over several weeks.

    War· China, Japan
  8. May 1939 – September 1939★★★★★

    Battles of Khalkhin Gol

    Soviet and Mongolian forces under Georgy Zhukov defeat the Japanese on the Mongolian–Manchurian border.

    War· Mongolia, Japan, Russia, China
  9. September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945★★★★★

    World War II

    Germany invades Poland, starting the deadliest conflict in human history, which ends with Japan's formal surrender on 2 September 1945.

    War· Germany, Poland, United Kingdom, France, Russia, United States, Japan, China
  10. September 22, 1940 – September 26, 1940★★★★★

    Japanese invasion of French Indochina

    Japanese forces attack Lạng Sơn and land near Haiphong, compelling the French administration to accept Japanese bases in Tonkin.

    War· Vietnam, Japan, France
  11. December 7, 1941★★★★★

    Attack on Pearl Harbor

    The Imperial Japanese Navy launches a surprise attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, bringing the United States into World War II.

    War· United States, Japan
  12. February 15, 1942★★★★★

    Fall of Singapore

    British forces in Singapore surrender to Japan, the largest capitulation in British military history, beginning the Japanese occupation of Malaya.

    War· Singapore, United Kingdom, Japan
  13. March 9, 1945★★★★★

    Japanese coup in French Indochina

    Japan overthrows the French administration in Indochina; Bảo Đại then proclaims the Empire of Vietnam with Trần Trọng Kim as prime minister.

    WarPolitics· Vietnam, Japan, France
  14. April 1, 1945 – June 22, 1945★★★★★

    Battle of Okinawa

    One of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific War, causing heavy losses among soldiers and Okinawan civilians.

    War· Japan, United States
  15. August 6, 1945★★★★★

    Atomic bombing of Hiroshima

    The United States drops the first atomic bomb used in war on Hiroshima, killing tens of thousands instantly.

    WarDisaster· Japan, United States
  16. September 2, 1945★★★★★

    Surrender of Japan

    Japan signs the Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, formally ending the Second World War.

    WarTreaty· Japan, United States
  17. May 3, 1947★★★★★

    Constitution of Japan takes effect

    The postwar constitution makes the emperor a symbol of the state, and its Article 9 renounces war.

    Politics· Japan
  18. September 8, 1951★★★★★

    Treaty of San Francisco

    Japan signs a peace treaty with the Allied powers, ending the occupation when it takes effect in 1952.

    Treaty· Japan, United States
  19. October 1, 1964★★★★★

    Shinkansen high-speed rail opens

    The Tōkaidō Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka opens as the world's first high-speed railway line.

    TechnologyEconomy· Japan

21st century

  1. March 11, 2011★★★★★

    Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

    A magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan kill nearly 20,000 people and trigger the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

    Disaster· Japan
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