Why wasnt Japan Colonized ?

[Darkragnar]

Why weren't the Japanese Colonized by the European powers in the 1700's like so many other country's in the region like India and the African colony's , why was Japan left untouched ,until the Americans came and forced japan to open her ports and initiated an sort of economic colonization.

[SaberHRE]

Theoretically some parts of Japan where "colonized" by ancestors of the Japanese. Previously, ingenious tribes inhabited Japan including a caucasian people called the Ainu.

[Primvs Sextvs Loverlord]

Theoretically some parts of Japan where "colonized" by ancestors of the Japanese. Previously, ingenious tribes inhabited Japan including a caucasian people called the Ainu.

Details, please?

[Sétanta]

Japan was probably not colonized because they were a very large, civilized culture that was completely capable of resisting any invasion by a European military power. The amount of time to get from Europe to Japan meant that insuficient numbers of soldiers would be able to be carried and thus, no invasion could be pulled off.

Also, Japan isn't exactly overflowing with natural resources.

[Primvs Sextvs Loverlord]

Japan was probably not colonized because they were a very large, civilized culture that was completely capable of resisting any invasion by a European military power. The amount of time to get from Europe to Japan meant that insuficient numbers of soldiers would be able to be carried and thus, no invasion could be pulled off.

Also, Japan isn't exactly overflowing with natural resources.

I have to disagree on the first point. Civilized is a relative term. During the 17 to 18 hundreds, Japan's society and economy were mostly feudal and agrarian. Their naval fleet could not match those of the Europeans.

Moreover, India was far more diverse and dangerous than Japan but the British still invaded it. They made their money there by taking raw materials, sending them back to Britain and then re-selling the finished products to the same people that the raw materials were stolen from.

[removeduser_487563287433]

I have to disagree on the first point. Civilized is a relative term. During the 17 to 18 hundreds, Japan's society and economy were mostly feudal and agrarian. Their naval fleet could not match those of the Europeans.

Moreover, India was far more diverse and dangerous than Japan but the British still invaded it. They made their money there by taking raw materials, sending them back to Britain and then re-selling the finished products to the same people that the raw materials were stolen from.

Problem being Japan was a large unified state and India was a patchwork of hundreds of Kingdoms allowing Britain to conquer it piece by piece.

[scottishranger]

Whereas India was splintered into various factions, making it easy to divide and conquer, Japan was centralized into one nation, and one ruler who had supreme, divine power in the eyes of his subjects, enforced by the shoguns and the warrior classes.

Also, as to the distance factor, the British seemed to colonize Hong Kong and make war on Ming China well enough, Japan is only a bit farther(relatively speaking)

[randir14]

Details, please?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ainu_people

[IamthePope]

More profitable to trade with an established and powerful Empire. Also the technological gap between the West and the Orient wasn't so great at the time. It wasn't until the industrial revolution that the West truly surpassed the Ancient and wealthy Empires oof East Asia, economically, militarilly, and techonologically. See Opium Wars for details.

[The Good]

I have wondered this as well. European nations did a lot of settling in this era, and it was not an uncommon practise. Yet, Japan must have resisted them somehow, but there were a few small dutch, or portuguese colonies. Infact, later on, the Dutch were the only Europeans allowed in Japan.

[Count of Montesano]

Setanta put it very eloquently - in the 15-1600s a samurai army was probably close to, if not the equal, of many European armies. Don't forget that the during the Sengoku period the Japanese were also quite skilled with firearms at a time when guns gave European explorers a huge advantage in the New World and Africa. Unfortunately Tokugawa decided to outlaw guns as a way to keep power, a decision that would cost his family several centuries later.

If you think about it though, the West didn't really start to try to colonize much of Asia until the second age of imperialism in the 1800s. England wouldn't get the upper hand on China until the First Opium War in the 1840s, France wouldn't fully colonize Southeast Asia until the late 1800s, and it would take America until the turn of the century to take over the Philippines from Spain. Suddenly the rules of imperialism had completely changed - relatively poor countries in gold and silver might still have things to offer Western powers like oil and coal. Industrialized nations wanted colonies to take raw resources from and controlled markets where overpriced manufactured goods could be dumped. Oh, and the West had completely eclipsed the East in terms of weaponry.

BTW, Japan was forced open to the West thanks to America's gunboat policy - Western powers saw Japan as a perfect refueling station on the way to China. The Shogun was forced to sign a humiliating trade treaty with Western powers, and eventually he was overthrown and the emperor restored to power. So Japan did spend several decades being pushed around by the West. What's different in the case of Japan though was the Japanese went on a crash course to industrialize their nation and went from a feudal society to a modern world power in the space of 50 years.

@ Sextus - I agree with you that India had more military power and population than Japan in the 1700s, but it also had a lot more to offer the British as well - including all important tea. Also, the British were able to gain a foothold in India in the 1600s and expand from there, something the Shoguns never allowed. Only Dutch and Portuguese were allowed in, and no European power could establish trade bases like the English were able to do in India. Finally, India was a bit divided to begin with and further divided in loyalties between the English and French. It was easier for the British to divide and conquer, and also justify conquest of France's Indian allies during the Napoleonic period.

[jankren]

The Japanese were probably good at diplomacy just like the Thais. For those who dont know Thailand was the only Far Eastern Asian country that had never been colonized by any European powers even though its technological power was far worse than Japan.

[hellheaven1987]

The Japanese were probably good at diplomacy just like the Thais. For those who dont know Thailand was the only Far Eastern Asian country that had never been colonized by any European powers even though its technological power was far worse than Japan.

Thailand was not colonized simply because European powers wanted to use it as a buffer state between each European powers in Southeast Asia, not because Thailand had anything special or Europeans could not conquer it.

[Woad-Warrier]

Everybody was kong-fu fighting. Heee-yah. They were as fast as lighting.

[Janissary]

Everybody was kong-fu fighting. Heee-yah. They were as fast as lighting.

Hahahah, classic!

[jabo0511]

The european powers didn't really to colonize Japan because, well, they really have nothing of value. The english for example would rather put their resources to conquer India which is closer and has much more natural resources than Japan. The Dutch and the Portuguese would rather conquer Indonesia for the same reason and also because at the time they were not as strong militarily as the Japanese. The Spanish did the same thing in the phillipines.

[Woad-Warrier]

Everybody was kong-fu fighting. Heee-yah. They were as fast as lighting.

Cant remember why I posted this..?

[Darkragnar]

That explains why the British and the French couldn't annex Japan because they couldn't Divide and Rule, no ethnic minority's nor any major Religious differences they could invoke but what about the Late comers like the Germans and the Americans , i would imagine with their hunger for colony's they would be the 1st to jump at a chance to establish naval bases close to China, it would also open up a new market for their goods, especially America.

I mean i know the Americans initiated their Gunboat policy but why don't you think they initiated an complete colonization , the Japaneses were far far behind in terms of technology by the 1800's , they might have had an advantage earlier on in the 1600's.

@jankren ya thats true Thailand was also not colonized , but i think thats in part because they had some very good rulers during that time.

[Limper]

That explains why the British and the French couldn't annex Japan because they couldn't Divide and Rule, no ethnic minority's nor any major Religious differences they could invoke but what about the Late comers like the Germans and the Americans , i would imagine with their hunger for colony's they would be the 1st to jump at a chance to establish naval bases close to China, it would also open up a new market for their goods, especially America.

I mean i know the Americans initiated their Gunboat policy but why don't you think they initiated an complete colonization , the Japaneses were far far behind in terms of technology by the 1800's , they might have had an advantage earlier on in the 1600's.

@jankren ya thats true Thailand was also not colonized , but i think thats in part because they had some very good rulers during that time.

Direct American Colonialism was mostly stuff we captured from Spain. We didn't do it like Europe did for some reason between wanting to be better than the Europeans and the fact that it was getting to be clear that Colonalism wasn't at all as profitable as it seemed to be by the time we got into the World player game.

It was more lucrative for us to sell munitions to those who wanted to get rid of the European Oppressors.

[milns]

Direct American Colonialism was mostly stuff we captured from Spain. We didn't do it like Europe did for some reason between wanting to be better than the Europeans and the fact that it was getting to be clear that Colonalism wasn't at all as profitable as it seemed to be by the time we got into the World player game.

It was more lucrative for us to sell munitions to those who wanted to get rid of the European Oppressors.

IMHO amreicans never started to colonize Asia because they had enough free land in their own country and people had no need to take a dangerous road to Asia, they could go to central regions instead. It has been allways so, if country has enough free land for inner colonisation, it wont try to colonise lands far beiond the see (look to Eastern Europe for example, huge forested lands which can be turned into fields)