DOCSLIB.ORG

元号 /Gengou/ Japan Uses 2 Calendar Systems Simultaneously: The

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
元号 /Gengou/ Japan Uses 2 Calendar Systems Simultaneously: The 元号 /gengou/ Japan uses 2 calendar systems simultaneously: the Gregorian calendar (西暦 /seireki/, literally "Western calendar") and the traditional calendar system called 元号 /gengou/. Gengou is also called 年号 /nengou/. Gengou is the name given to a historical period, and with this Gengou system, the historical timeline in Japan is composed of successive periods with different names (see the visualization above). For example, the first Gengou was 大化 /taika/ and it designates the period between 645 and 650 A.D. The current Gengou is 令和 /reiwa/ and it is the 248th Gengou. But when the Japanese talk about the history of Japan, they do not usually use Gengou to talk about events in history. Common practice is: 1) To talk about the pre-modern era, all the divisions of Gengou periods are ignored and they are grouped into larger historical periods based on the location of the capital. Here is the list of historical periods that the Japanese learn in school: - Asuka 592-710 - Nara 710-794 - Heian 794-1185 - Kamakura 1185-1333 - Kenmu Restoration 1333-1336 - Muromachi 1336-1573 - Azuchi Momoyama 1573-1603 - Edo 1603-1868 (For example, during the Nara period, the capital was located in Nara, and the Nara period ended with the relocation of the capital to Heian - today's Kyoto - in 794 A.D.) 2) Only when talking about the modern era, which started with the end of samurai in the 19th century, the Gengou system is used. Here is the division of the modern era: - Meiji 1868-1912 - Taisho 1912-1926 - Showa 1926-1989 - Heisei 1989-2019 - Reiwa 2019- Until the Meiji period, there was no clear rule about how Gengou should be used. Gengou was often changed in order to literally mark the beginning of a new era, for example, to celebrate the ascension of a new emperor, the installation of a new government or a fresh start after a war, famine or earthquake and other difficulties in life. This "change of Gengou" is called 改元 /kaigen/ in Japanese, and it has been used as a process of renewal in Japan. If you look at the pre-modern era (up to 1868), there have been 243 Gengou in the period of 1223 years, and that's about 5 years per Gengou in average. In hindsight, each period looked too short and the whole business of Gengou and Kaigen appeared to be very badly managed, so, as a part of the effort to modernize Japan, the rule concerning Gengou and Kaigen was clearly established with the launch of the Meiji period. Since Meiji, the basic rule is "one emperor, one Gengou," and Gengou is used to name the period of an emperor’s reign. 改元 /kaigen/ - from 平成 /heisei/ to 令和 /reiwa/ Between Meiji and Heisei, Gengou was changed when the emperors passed away. Heisei is the first period in the modern era to end with abdication of the throne. The last Kaigen to take place with abdication was 200 years ago, in 1818. In history, abdication often caused a power struggle between former and new emperors, and, to avoid a similar situation, the law created in Meiji does not allow abdication. When the former emperor Akihito (of the Heisei period) expressed his intention to abdicate due to his age and health, the exception was made for his abdication. (In other words, according to the law, the Japanese emperor still cannot abdicate.) The current emperor's name is Naruhito and he is the 126th emperor of Japan.* He is the eldest son of the Heisei emperor Akihito. The period of his reign is known as 令和 /reiwa/. This current Gengou - "Reiwa" - was announced on April 1st, 2019, a month before the ascension of Emperor Naruhito. Gengou was supposed to be announced on the day the new era starts, but due to the amount of work required to change the calendar in print and computer, it was decided that the new Gengou was to be announced 1 month earlier. The ascension of Emperor Naruhito took place on May 1 and the Reiwa era started on the same day. * The Japanese imperial lineage is the oldest and longest royal lineage in the world. Unfortunately, the Japanese imperial family is rapidly getting smaller today and it may come to an end in a couple of generations. It is because a) the modern definition of the Japanese imperial lineage is patrilineal - i.e., the line is passed down from a father to the son - just like the rest of Japan; b) the majority of the younger generation in the imperial family today is female. In practical terms, it means that 1) the female members cannot succeed to the throne; 2) if a female member of the imperial family marries a commoner, she becomes a commoner (and continues the husband’s family lineage); 3) unless the law is changed very soon, these female members will start to get married and there will be a sudden drop in the number of the imperial family members. Because of this inequality between male and female members in the imperial family, even though there are many princesses, currently there are only 3 heirs to the throne, and only one of them is younger than 50 years old (born in 2006). Under the current law, in order to have the 4th person in line of succession to the throne, Japan needs to wait for this young prince to grow up and have a son, and if he fails to have a son, he will be the last of the imperial family lineage. This situation is adding urgency to the debate on the future position of female members in the imperial family, but so far there has not been much progress. The name "Reiwa" is the first Gengou to use Japanese literature as the source of the name. All the other 247 Gengou made reference to the classic Chinese literature. "Reiwa" comes from 1) "令 /rei/" from "令月 /reigetsu/" - the lunar month that includes Spring Equinox - which has the nuance of a warm Spring month and also the best time to start something new; 2) "和 /wa/" which means both "harmony" and "relaxation." This is the official explanation of the name "Reiwa." Its meaning can be analyzed further through its Kanji spelling (令 and 和), and even interpreted in completely different ways (for example, some people see 令 as “command” or “order” and 和 as in the WW2 battleship 大和 /yamato/). But the meaning of the Gengou name did not obsess the Japanese public so much. What mattered more to the Japanese was the sound: it had to sound nice and give them an impression of fresh air worthy of the new era. Fortunately “Reiwa" sounded nice enough and it did not bring anything bad to anyone's mind, and that was enough to make the Japanese happy to embrace it. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Interpreter
    Japan: grasping for hope in a new imperial era | The Interpreter https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/japan-grasping-hope-ne... Tets Kimura Japan has three New Year’s Days this year. 1 January, the calendar new year was the obvious beginning, then followed 1 April, the start of the financial and academic year that is famously symbolised by seasonal cherry blossoms – and now 1 May, the once-only celebration of the first day of what will be known as the Reiwa era of imperial reign. The transition from the current Heisei era to the next era of Reiwa will occur as the Reigning Emperor has decided to abdicate his position to the Crown Prince, even though this was not constitutionally permissible. No Emperor has stepped down from the position in Japan in the last 200 years, but it was the Emperor’s wish to do so as he found it difficult to be responsible in his role at his age. He is 85. Tuesday will be his last day as the Emperor, and under the “one generation, one title” rule, the era of Heisei will consequently end. According to the newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, 58% of Japanese think Japan will move to a better direction in the new era of Reiwa, whereas 17% see a negative future. The current era of Heisei started on 8 January 1989, a day after the Showa Emperor passed away. When the dramatic Showa era (1926-1989) ended, a time in which Japan experienced wars, the Allied Occupation, and the rapid post- Second World War recovery, Japan decided to name the following imperial reign period Heisei.
    [Show full text]
  • Collecting Karamono Kodō 唐物古銅 in Meiji Japan: Archaistic Chinese Bronzes in the Chiossone Museum, Genoa, Italy
    Transcultural Perspectives 4/2020 - 1 Gonatella Failla "ollecting karamono kod( 唐物古銅 in Mei3i Japan: Archaistic Chinese 4ronzes in the Chiossone Museum, Genoa, Ital* Introduction public in the special e>hibition 7ood for the The Museum of Oriental Art, enoa, holds the Ancestors, 7lo#ers for the ods: Transformations of !apanese and Chinese art collections #hich Edoardo Archaistic 4ronzes in China and !apan01 The e>hibits Chiossone % enoa 1833-T()*( 1898) -athered during #ere organised in 5ve main cate-ories: archaistic his t#enty-three-year sta* in !apan, from !anuary copies and imitations of archaic ritual 2ronzes; 1875 until his death in April 1898. A distinguished 4uddhist ritual altar sets in archaistic styleC )aramono professor of design and engraving techniques, )od( hanaike, i.e0 Chinese @o#er 2ronzes collected in Chiossone #as hired 2* the Meiji -overnment to !apan; Chinese 2ronzes for the scholar’s studioC install modern machinery and esta2lish industrial !apan’s reinvention of Chinese archaismB 2ronze and production procedures at the Imperial Printing iron for chanoyu %tea ceremony), for 2unjincha %tea of 4ureau, T()*(, to instruct the youn- -eneration of the literati,, and for @o#er arrangement in the formal designers and engravers, and to produce securit* rik)a style0 printed products such as 2anknotes, state 2ond 4esides documenting the a-es-old, multifaceted certificates, monopoly and posta-e stamps. He #as interest of China in its o#n antiquit* and its unceasing #ell-)no#n also as a portraitist of contemporaneous revivals, the Chiossone 2ronze collection attests to historic 5-ures, most nota2ly Philipp-7ranz von the !apanese tradition of -athering Chinese 2ronzes 9ie2old %1796-1866, and Emperor Meiji %1852-1912, r.
    [Show full text]
  • Emperor Hirohito (1)” of the Ron Nessen Papers at the Gerald R
    The original documents are located in Box 27, folder “State Visits - Emperor Hirohito (1)” of the Ron Nessen Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Copyright Notice The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Ron Nessen donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Digitized from Box 27 of The Ron Nessen Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN ~ . .,1. THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN A Profile On the Occasion of The Visit by The Emperor and Empress to the United States September 30th to October 13th, 1975 by Edwin 0. Reischauer The Emperor and Empress of japan on a quiet stroll in the gardens of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Few events in the long history of international relations carry the significance of the first visit to the United States of the Em­ peror and Empress of Japan. Only once before has the reigning Emperor of Japan ventured forth from his beautiful island realm to travel abroad. On that occasion, his visit to a number of Euro­ pean countries resulted in an immediate strengthening of the bonds linking Japan and Europe.
    [Show full text]
  • Some Observations on the Weddings of Tokugawa Shogun’S Daughters – Part 2
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations School of Arts and Sciences October 2012 Some Observations on the Weddings of Tokugawa Shogun’s Daughters – Part 2 Cecilia S. Seigle Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/ealc Part of the Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Seigle, Cecilia S. Ph.D., "Some Observations on the Weddings of Tokugawa Shogun’s Daughters – Part 2" (2012). Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations. 8. https://repository.upenn.edu/ealc/8 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/ealc/8 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Some Observations on the Weddings of Tokugawa Shogun’s Daughters – Part 2 Abstract This section discusses the complex psychological and philosophical reason for Shogun Yoshimune’s contrasting handlings of his two adopted daughters’ and his favorite son’s weddings. In my thinking, Yoshimune lived up to his philosophical principles by the illogical, puzzling treatment of the three weddings. We can witness the manifestation of his modest and frugal personality inherited from his ancestor Ieyasu, cohabiting with his strong but unconventional sense of obligation and respect for his benefactor Tsunayoshi. Disciplines Family, Life Course, and Society | Inequality and Stratification | Social and Cultural Anthropology This is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/ealc/8 Weddings of Shogun’s Daughters #2- Seigle 1 11Some Observations on the Weddings of Tokugawa Shogun’s Daughters – Part 2 e.
    [Show full text]
  • Crime and Criminal Policy in Japan Analysis and Evaluation of the Showa Era, 1926–1988
    M. Shikita, S. Tsuchiya Crime and Criminal Policy in Japan Analysis and Evaluation of the Showa Era, 1926–1988 Series: Research in Criminology The Showa Era in Japan commenced in December 1926, when Emperor Showa ascended the Throne, and came to an end in January 1989, when His Majesty passed away, ushering in the new Heisei Era. The Showa Era was marked by drastic changes in the economy, society, and political and legal sys tems, which brought about an ebb and flow in criminality and precipitated various criminal policies. From an economical, political, and criminological perspective, the Showa Era stands out as a remarkable period in Japanese his tory. The Research and Training Institute of the Ministry of Justice, which has annually published the White Paper on Crime in Japan since 1960, received Cabinet approval to introduce a special topic section, "Criminal Policy in Sho wa" in the White Paper for 1989, which was published in October the same year. This White Paper is the first comprehensive publication that deals not only with the crime situation but also with the various activities of the criminal justice system, including the police, public 1992, XXXVIII, 415 p. prosecutors' offices, courts, correctional institutions, and probation and parole supervision organisations for 63 years. Printed book Hardcover ▶ 169,99 € | £149.99 | $219.99 ▶ *181,89 € (D) | 186,99 € (A) | CHF 200.50 eBook Available from your bookstore or ▶ springer.com/shop MyCopy Printed eBook for just ▶ € | $ 24.99 ▶ springer.com/mycopy Order online at springer.com ▶ or for the Americas call (toll free) 1-800-SPRINGER ▶ or email us at: [email protected].
    [Show full text]
  • Mother of the Nation: Femininity, Modernity, and Class in the Image of Empress Teimei
    Mother of the Nation: Femininity, Modernity, and Class in the Image of Empress Teimei By ©2016 Alison Miller Submitted to the graduate degree program in the History of Art and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________________ Chairperson Dr. Maki Kaneko ________________________________ Dr. Sherry Fowler ________________________________ Dr. David Cateforis ________________________________ Dr. John Pultz ________________________________ Dr. Akiko Takeyama Date Defended: April 15, 2016 The Dissertation Committee for Alison Miller certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Mother of the Nation: Femininity, Modernity, and Class in the Image of Empress Teimei ________________________________ Chairperson Dr. Maki Kaneko Date approved: April 15, 2016 ii Abstract This dissertation examines the political significance of the image of the Japanese Empress Teimei (1884-1951) with a focus on issues of gender and class. During the first three decades of the twentieth century, Japanese society underwent significant changes in a short amount of time. After the intense modernizations of the late nineteenth century, the start of the twentieth century witnessed an increase in overseas militarism, turbulent domestic politics, an evolving middle class, and the expansion of roles for women to play outside the home. As such, the early decades of the twentieth century in Japan were a crucial period for the formation of modern ideas about femininity and womanhood. Before, during, and after the rule of her husband Emperor Taishō (1879-1926; r. 1912-1926), Empress Teimei held a highly public role, and was frequently seen in a variety of visual media.
    [Show full text]
  • Poet Profiles His Imperial Majesty Emperor Akihito and Her Imperial Majesty Empress Michiko of Japan Ty Hadman
    Poet Profiles His Imperial Majesty Emperor Akihito and Her Imperial Majesty Empress Michiko of Japan Ty Hadman Since 951 A.D., in the fifth year of Tenreki during the reign of Emperor Murakami, there has been held a ceremony, in the presence of the assembled high court of Japan, known as Utakai Shiki (Ceremony for Chanting Poetry). In spite of interruptions of wars and political variations of the powers of the clans to determine actual rulers of the country, the ceremony is still celebrated to this day. One of the sustaining facets of the ceremony is the fact that the Emperor and members of the Imperial Family each contribute their best poem of the year to be read before this distinguished audience. In order to fulfill this duty of office and to also present an elevated standard of proficiency, part of the education of princes and princesses, is to study the art of waka or tanka writing. The present Emperor of Japan, taken from his mother when he was three years old to be raised by tutors, chamberlains and nurses, was also given instruction in poetry writing. Even after becoming an adult, and still as His Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince, he continued to be instructed on tanka composition by Gotô Shigeru. In 1957, when the then Crown Prince Akihito was of an age to marry, he met, at a tennis match, Miss Michiko Shoda, the eldest daughter of the chairman of the Nisshin Flour Milling Company. She had just graduated, as valedictorian, from the Sacred Heart Women’s University, with a degree from the Department of Literature.
    [Show full text]
  • Tokyo Summer in the First Year of Reiwa Is 50 Days Longer Than Any
    July 24, 2019 <Daikin 25th Survey on Attitudes of Modern People toward Air> Survey of 500 Native Tokyo Residents on “Attitudes toward Air in the Tokyo Summer in the First Year of Reiwa” Tokyo Summer in the First Year of Reiwa is 50 Days Longer Than Any Other Era in Modern History!? Direction of the Tokyo summer in the first year of Reiwa as seen from changes in attitudes from the past Showa and Heisei eras Daikin Industries, Ltd. conducted a survey of 500 native Tokyo residents on their attitudes toward air in the Reiwa Era and changes in attitudes toward air in the Tokyo summer from the Showa and the Heisei eras. Implemented since 2002, the Daikin “Survey on Attitudes of Modern People toward Air” highlights the awareness and issues that modern people have relating to “air” and aims to promote interest and appreciation among many people for “air,” which is often unnoticed in daily life. In Japan, This year marks the end of the Heisei Era, which lasted for approximately 30 years, and the beginning of the Reiwa Era. Following the Showa and Heisei eras, what will the nature of the “air” be in the Reiwa Era, and what lifestyle changes will accompany it? The Japanese summer in recent years has seen a continuation of record-setting heat waves and extreme heat, and there is concern for the direction of the 2019 summer that begins the Reiwa Era. In the “25th Survey on Attitudes of Modern People toward Air,” we conducted a survey by comparing the present and past (remembrances of respondents when they were elementary school students around the age of 10 years old) concerning changing attitudes toward air in the summer for Tokyo, a city which is expected to attract more foreign visitors and receive increasingly more attention from the world in the future, and toward air conditioners.
    [Show full text]
  • Literatuur Van Japan 2018/2019
    日本文学 Literatuur van Japan 2020/2021 Prof. Dr. Luk Van Haute Dr. Klaus Pinte Nuttige bronnen • Vos, Jos. Eeuwige reizigers: een bloemlezing uit de klassieke Japanse literatuur. Amsterdam: De Arbeiderspers, 2008. • Aozorabunko: http://www.aozora.gr.jp/ • “Japanese text initiative” door The University of Virginia and The University of Pittsburgh: http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/japanese/ • https://penseelvanwind.nl/ Algemene tijdsindeling Kodai bungaku (古代文学, ook: koten古典 klassieke literatuur): tot Meiji-periode jōdai (上代 Nara-periode) chūko (中古 Heian-periode) chūsei (中世 middeleeuwen, Kamakura- en Muromachi-periode) kinsei (近世 premodern, Edo-periode) Gendai bungaku (現代文学 moderne literatuur) kindai (近代 modern, 1868-1926) = Meiji-periode gendai (現代 hedendaags, 1926-) = vanaf Shōwa-periode Overzicht Jōdai-literatuur上代文学 • Tijdsperiode Tot 794 Nara-periode (hoofdstad in de huidige prefectuur Nara, naar Chinees model) • Historische achtergrond Japan voor het eerst als verenigde natie in de 4de / 5de eeuw, internationaal prestige opkrikken. Vanaf de 7de eeuw was de autoriteit van de keizer (Yamato-clan) stabiel en absoluut. • Culturele achtergrond Grote invloed van China door de ‘Japanse missie naar de Sui-dynastie (Kenzuishi 遣 隋使)’ en de ‘Japanse missie naar de Tang-dynastie (Kentōshi 遣唐使)’ Kojiki 古事記 (Optekeningen Nihonshoki 日本書紀 (ook van oude zaken) Nihongi 日本紀) (Optekeningen van Japan)) ontstaansjaar 712 720 volumes 3 30 inhoud Mythen, geschiedenis tot keizerin Mythen, geschiedenis tot keizerin (!) Suiko Tennō (†628) (!) Jitō Tennō（†697） doel
    [Show full text]
  • Racism Without Race? : the Case of Japan's Invisible Group
    Racism Without Race? : the Case of Japan's Invisible Group Masami Degawa A thesis submitted to the Department of Sociology in conforrnity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Queen's University Kingston. Ontario. Canada Cop-yright O Masami Degawa. 200 L National Library Bibliothèque nationale du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 345,rue Wellington Ottawa ON KIA ON4 OttawaON K1AW Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distn'bute or sel reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microfonn, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la fome de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Abstract This thesis examines the persistence of social exclusion of the Buraku people. They were created as a class -- lower than the lowest. under the strict Tokugawa feudal system (1603-1867). and in 1871 they were officially emancipated. The Buraku people are physically. ethnically. racially. religiously and culturdy indistinguishable fiom the rest of Japanese society.
    [Show full text]
  • A Historical Analysis of the Traditional Japanese Decision-Making Process in Contrast with the U.S
    Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 1976 A historical analysis of the traditional Japanese decision-making process in contrast with the U.S. system and implications for intercultural deliberations Shoji Mitarai Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Mitarai, Shoji, "A historical analysis of the traditional Japanese decision-making process in contrast with the U.S. system and implications for intercultural deliberations" (1976). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 2361. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.2358 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Shoji Mitarai for the Master of Arts in Speech Conununication presented February 16, 1976. Title: A Historical Analysis of the Traditional Japanese Decision-Maki~g Process in Contrast with the U.S. System and Implications for Intercultural Delibera­ tions. APPROVED BY MEMBERS OF THE THESIS COMMITTEES: The purpose of this research.is to (1) describe and analyze the different methods used by Japanese ·and by U.S. persons to reach ~greement in small. group deliberations, (2) discover the depth of ·conunitment and personal involvement with th~se methods by tracing their historical b~ginni~gs, and (3) draw implications 2 from (1) and (2) as to probability of success of current problem solving deliberations involving members of both ·groups.
    [Show full text]
  • Japanese Monarchy: Past and Present Ben-Ami Shillony, Louis
    Japanese Monarchy: Past and Present Ben-Ami Shillony, Louis Frieberg Chair in East Asian Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Will an empress save the Japanese monarchy? p.1 Antony Best, London School of Economics A royal alliance: Anglo-Japanese Court Relations, 1900-41 p.18 The Suntory Centre Suntory and Toyota International Centres for Economics and Related Disciplines London School of Economics and Political Science Discussion Paper Houghton Street No. IS/06/512 London WC2A 2AE November 2006 Tel: 020-7955-6699 Preface A symposium was held on 23 February 2006 in the Michio Morishima room at STICERD to discuss aspects of Japanese and British royalty. Professor Ben-Ami Shillony discussed the future succession to the Japanese throne in the light of the current debate about female succession, outlined in his recent book Enigma of the Emperors (Folkestone: Global Oriental, 2005). Dr Best analysed the changing Anglo-Japanese court relationship which had originally been underpinned by the Anglo-Japanese alliance but had become a secondary factor by the 1930s. November 2006 Abstracts Shillony: Paper examines how Japan’s imperial dynasty dependent on the male line of succession has lasted so long and analyses how it will overcome its present difficulties. An Advisory Panel was created to recommend future policy to the Koizumi cabinet but its report in 2005 was criticized. The impasse over the Panel’s report was broken by the birth of a son in September 2006 to Princess Kiko, wife of Prince Akishino. Best: Paper explains why the royal relationship with Japan became so important to Britain. During the Anglo-Japanese Alliance (1902-23), relations between the two Courts were cordial.
    [Show full text]