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Sometime around 35 000 B.C, Japan was settled for the first time. These were paleolithic humans that came across the sea from China, and little is known about them. They formed into somewhat of a culture around 10 000 B.C, known as the Jomon. These were a more advanced people, with clothing, housing, and pottery.
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Around 500 BC, the Shinto religion first appeared in Japan. It is considered Japan's native religion, and differs from a lot of other religions in its lack of scriptures and a founder. People warship deities called Kamis, which are "spirits" of people or objects. It is one of the two popular religions in Japan.
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Though it is unknown how, the Yamato court came into being sometime between 266 and 413 in a largely undocumented period of time. This kingdom expanded and controlled much of Japan, uniting the smaller tribes that were throughout. They attacked Korea many times for resources, but were ultimately driven away.
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Starting in the sixth century, the Yamato kingdom started to lose it's control over Japan and their leadership started to decline. Many other "Clans" started to gain more power, and more and more resources had to be spent keeping the homeland under control. Though it was still technically in power, in reality it did not have a lot of power anymore.
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In 538, the Asuka period began. During this time Japan was heavily influenced by mainland Asia, with Confucianism, Chinese writing, and other important Chinese ideas. The government was reformed based on Chinese ideas, and many important people promoted Chinese ideas. This resulted in a very China-like time period.
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In the year 552, Buddhism was introduced to Japan from Korea. It quickly was adopted by powerful groups and after some conflict, overtook Shinto as the most popular religion in Japan. It is still very popular today, along with Shinto, and is estimated up to 67% of the Japanese population is Buddhist.
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In 593, the first temples were built in Japan. These were built by three Korean carpenters, brought over by friendly relations with Prince Shotoku. The first one started construction in 593. One of the builders started the worlds longest lasting company, lasting until 2006.
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After being taken over by Buddhism in the 6th century, Shinto started to come back around 740. This was because of the high taxes Buddhist monks were implementing, so people look for alternatives. Shinto and Buddhism are very similar, and so nowadays many people follow aspects of both. This allows them to coexist with each other well.
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The Heian period began in 794. This period of time, lasting until 1185, saw many changes to Japanese culture and power. With a rise in political instability in China, exports and relations mostly stopped and gave Japan time to define it's own culture. However because of this, the economy was poor and many people were in poverty. (This was also caused by a power hungry government).
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Near the end of the Heian period, the governing Fujiwara clan started to lose power. This was because of a large population and lack of resources. Political unrest was about, and this allowed the military and samurai to take power. The elite were samurai, the working class joined the military. This change in power gave rise to the feudal system that would control Japan for the next several centuries.
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In 1185, Samurai lords - called Shoguns - took over the Japanese government. This began a military rule lasting until 1868. Starting with the Samurai leader Minamoto Yoritomo, the Shogunate controlled much of the power in Japan (Though the authority was still officially with the empire).
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In the 12th century, Zen Buddhism was introduced to Japan from China. Zen is a form of Buddhism focused on meditation and observing the mind. This is done usually by focusing on breathing. Zen Buddhism became very popular soon after, and had a heavy influence on the culture of the time.
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When a Portugese trading ship bound for China was blown off course in 1543, it landed on Japan and was the first European party to enter Japan. Soon Europeans were trading with Japan, European items as well as trading Chinese goods with the Japanese. This ended when Japan built ships of their own and could trade with China.
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When the first Europeans came to Japan, they brought Christianity with them. Missionaries taught Christianity to the Japanese, and successfully converted some. However, it was banned in 1597 due to the political aspect and view on Buddhism/Shinto. This ban was lifted in 1868
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Starting in 1600, the Edo period was relatively peaceful. This led to massive growth for Japan, mostly seen in a doubling of population. There was also a large growth in education rates, with over 30% literacy rates - quite high for the time. Commercial expansion caused the merchant class to grow, which was easier due to better infrastructure being built.
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By the 19th century, the shogunate had started to weaken. Decisions by the shogunate about events such as Americans "invading" Japan did not sit well with the common people, and caused political unrest. But most importantly, the samurai were not happy. Their wages had been cut due to a lack of funds, and so samurai marched on the Tokugawa shogunate, and it fell.
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In 1868 the empire and emperor were restored to a position of power. However, the real power was with former samurai controlling from behind. But the power had shifted from the shogunate, and the new government implemented many changes in the economy and expansion of the empire. Japan was more industrial, and was heavily influenced by the west.
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Japan joined World War 2 in 1940. After an expansion into China starting a few years earlier, Japan allied with Germany in an attempt for control of the Pacific. After attacking Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, the US joined the war and pushed back. The Allies defeated Japan in 1945.
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In 1989, Japans economy crashed. Banks had a lot of debt, stock and land prices dropped, unemployment rose, and birthrates dropped. International relations were strained after the war, especially due to "insincere" apologies. Though it has recovered somewhat, it is still not how it was before 1989.
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On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck just off the coast of Japan. It was the most powerful earthquake in the history of Japan, and caused billions of dollars of damage and tens of thousands of deaths. It also caused the Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdown, the second worst in history.