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Period: to
Japan
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Japanese General Election POLITICAL
The consumption tax and the Recruit scandal affected the popularity of the Liberal Democratic Party. Members of some factions of the LDP cast a vote of no confidence against prime minister Kiichi Miyazawa who then decided to eliminate the House of Representatives. Many LDP supporters left the party soon after and formed new parties. -
Subway Sarin Incident
A religious group, Aum Shinrikyo, attacked 5 railroad stations releasing sarin, a nerve gas, onto many lines part of the Tokyo Metro which ended up killing thirteen people. The damage also included badly injuring fifty people and obstructing the vision for almost a thousand other people. The attack was pointed against all trains that passed through Kasumigaseki and Nagatachō, which housed the Japanese government. It was the most serious attack in Japan since the end of World War II. -
Asian Financial Crisis ECONOMIC/SOCIAL
This crisis started in Thailand with the financial collapse of the Thai baht. Other countries thought it was overvalued, so many Finance, Real Estate, and Construction workers were laid off and the baht lost more than half its value. It collapsed because the Thai government decided to float the baht, which in turn cut its peg to the U.S, dollar. This caused the Japan Economy to weaken because trade to Thailand and other countries in Asia was also lessened because all economies were suffering. -
Japanese Missile Defense System SOCIAL/POLITICAL
North Korea declared that Pyongyang (capital) possessed nuclear weapons and was going to conduct nuclear tests. The next day, the Japanese government announced it was going to install a U.S.-made missile defense system to protect its major cities from North Korean missiles. -
Soldiers enter War Zone
A group of about 80 soldiers that would eventually turn out to be 600 soldiers leave for Kuwait while they wait for permission from the Japanese government to enter Iraq. This marks the first time that Japanese soldiers were in a military zone since WWII. It was a major step for Japan and its military because they began to gain more power and I believe it gave them more confidence as well to get back to where they were in WWII, a powerhouse. -
Japan Applies for Permanent Seat on UN Security Council
Japan, Brazil, Germany, and India all applied to have the chance to have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. They stated "The Security Council must reflect the realities of the international community in the 21st Century," (bbc) which helped support the fact that they wanted to help improve the world, most specifically Asia. -
Japan begins withdrawal of troops from Iraq
Japan officially ordered their troops to return home after about a 2 year stay in the Iraqi city of Samawah. Their job was done as they succeeded at reconstructing he city into a more peaceful and up and running place. Not only did they achieve this goal with their troops, they did it with keeping their other promise of not firing their weapons unless they were fired at to begin with. -
Government Approves Ministry of Defense
The Japanese government approved the creation of a defense ministry, the first since their involvement in World War II. This was a very important event because Japan was slowly regaining its power and defense systems it had lost from WWII. -
DPJ wins Lower House
The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) won the general election which ended a campaign which created more than 50 years of unbroken rule by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). -
World Recession MOST IMPORTANT
Japan's economy is the second largest in the world today, but it is deteriorating at its worst pace since the 1970's. This is due to the shrinking amount of exports and very little spending inside of the country itself. The economy did not compare with the third quarter of 2008, as it had receded 3.3 percent since then.
