Japan vs. China Essay -- Economy Geography Papers Asia

Japan vs. China The region known as East Asia has long been in area of conflict, where often times one power, or group of powers has dominated the people, politics, and economy in a very authoritarian fashion. At first it was the Chinese Imperial system which dominated East Asia, as the strongest and most wealthy Asian power during the pre-colonial period. Japan was in a state of isolation, and the other countries of the region were dependent on China for many things. However, with the coming of the colonial powers from Europe and North America, China’s regional power was all but destroyed (4). During that time period, Japan began a process of rapid industrialization and modernization in order to counteract western colonialism and prevent the Western powers from taking over Japan like they did with China (5). Since then, Japan has been a competitor with China for regional dominance and hegemony. From a historical perspective, both China and Japan have occupied the place of regional hegemon, albeit at different times. China was the regional power in the pre-colonial era, often times exercising its influence over its smaller neighbors. This dominance was in large part because of the sheer size of China, in addition to the power of ancient China under the Emperors. The Great Wall of China was a testament to the ancient strength of China during the pre-colonial period (4). However, once the colonial period began, the power of China was destroyed by the Western powers. During this time period and immediately afterwards, China was a weak nation, often times on the brink of civil war and societal collapse (2). The result of this weakness was the rise of warlord-ism and the destruction of unified China. The GMD (Nationalists)... ...tors all give Japan the advantage; however China is not far behind Japan in the contest. With the largest population in the world and the world’s largest standing army, China is still a force to be reckoned with, albeit not as important as Japan seems to be. Although the future is very uncertain (given China’s unstable political system and what effects the economic growth will have upon it) it can be said that for the coming few years, Japan will continue to be on top of China. How long that lasts is impossible to determine, but given the current set of circumstances, China will surpass Japan in the future as regional hegemon. Works Cited 1. Lecture Notes/ in class discussion 2. Mao’s China and After By Maurice Meisner 3. Japan from Tokugawa to the Present by Andrew Gordon 4. in class video on pre-colonial China. 5. in class video on Japan’s modernization Japan vs. China Essay -- Economy Geography Papers Asia Japan vs. China The region known as East Asia has long been in area of conflict, where often times one power, or group of powers has dominated the people, politics, and economy in a very authoritarian fashion. At first it was the Chinese Imperial system which dominated East Asia, as the strongest and most wealthy Asian power during the pre-colonial period. Japan was in a state of isolation, and the other countries of the region were dependent on China for many things. However, with the coming of the colonial powers from Europe and North America, China’s regional power was all but destroyed (4). During that time period, Japan began a process of rapid industrialization and modernization in order to counteract western colonialism and prevent the Western powers from taking over Japan like they did with China (5). Since then, Japan has been a competitor with China for regional dominance and hegemony. From a historical perspective, both China and Japan have occupied the place of regional hegemon, albeit at different times. China was the regional power in the pre-colonial era, often times exercising its influence over its smaller neighbors. This dominance was in large part because of the sheer size of China, in addition to the power of ancient China under the Emperors. The Great Wall of China was a testament to the ancient strength of China during the pre-colonial period (4). However, once the colonial period began, the power of China was destroyed by the Western powers. During this time period and immediately afterwards, China was a weak nation, often times on the brink of civil war and societal collapse (2). The result of this weakness was the rise of warlord-ism and the destruction of unified China. The GMD (Nationalists)... ...tors all give Japan the advantage; however China is not far behind Japan in the contest. With the largest population in the world and the world’s largest standing army, China is still a force to be reckoned with, albeit not as important as Japan seems to be. Although the future is very uncertain (given China’s unstable political system and what effects the economic growth will have upon it) it can be said that for the coming few years, Japan will continue to be on top of China. How long that lasts is impossible to determine, but given the current set of circumstances, China will surpass Japan in the future as regional hegemon. Works Cited 1. Lecture Notes/ in class discussion 2. Mao’s China and After By Maurice Meisner 3. Japan from Tokugawa to the Present by Andrew Gordon 4. in class video on pre-colonial China. 5. in class video on Japan’s modernization