Hunter-gatherers in Japan begin making decorated pottery, one of the oldest traditions in the world.
Jomon hunter-gatherers produce some of the oldest pottery vessels in the world.
A period of warming causes rising sea levels and richer coastal ecosystems.
One of the largest Jomon settlements emerges in northern Honshu.
At its peak, Sannai-Maruyama features large wooden tower structures and a complex social organization.
Small clay figures, possibly with a ritual function, spread across Jomon communities.
A cooling period forces Jomon communities to adapt their food strategies.
Small-scale rice cultivation is introduced through contacts with the Asian mainland.
Groups of migrants bring new farming techniques, metalworking, and pottery styles to Kyushu.
Migrants and techniques from the Asian mainland bring wet rice cultivation, bronze working, and iron to Japan.
During the Yayoi period, small agricultural communities emerge scattered across Kyushu and western Honshu, adopting metal tools and weapons from the Asian mainland.
According to Chinese chronicles (Wei Zhi), a shamanistic queen named Himiko rules over a confederation of dozens of small states, known as Yamatai, and maintains diplomatic contacts with the Chinese Wei kingdom.
In the Kinki region around present-day Osaka and Nara, the first monumental keyhole-shaped burial mounds (kofun) appear for powerful clan leaders, marking the rise of a centralized elite.
In the Kofun period, a central authority emerges around the Yamato clan, with large burial mounds as a symbol of power.
Via Korea, Chinese script (kanji) reaches the Japanese islands and is gradually adopted by the Yamato elite.
An embassy from the Korean kingdom of Baekje brings Buddha statues and sutras to Japan, leading to the official introduction of Buddhism.
Prince Regent Shotoku Taishi issues a series of moral and administrative guidelines, inspired by Confucian and Buddhist ideals.
After the fall of the powerful Soga clan, Emperor Kotoku and his advisors carry out sweeping administrative reforms, inspired by the Chinese Tang model.
Japanese forces suffer a crushing defeat against the combined armies of Tang China and Silla in Korea.
A bloody succession struggle breaks out between Prince Oama and his nephew Otomo over the throne, which is ultimately won by Oama, the future Emperor Temmu.
With the construction of Heijo-kyo (present-day Nara), Japan gains its first permanent capital, designed on a Chinese model.
The capital moves to Heian-kyo (Kyoto), where a refined court culture emerges with literature such as The Tale of Genji.
The Fujiwara clan dominates the imperial court through marriage politics and regencies, while literature and art flourish.
Provincial warrior families grow into an indispensable military power, as central control from Heian-kyo declines.
A bloody civil war between the rival Taira and Minamoto clans decides the future balance of power in Japan.
Minamoto no Yoritomo establishes a military government in Kamakura, with which the samurai class takes over actual power.
Twee grote invasiepogingen van het Mongoolse Yuan-rijk onder Kublai Khan worden afgeslagen, mede dankzij vernietigende tyfoons die als 'kamikaze' (goddelijke wind) de geschiedenis ingaan.
Emperor Go-Daigo rises up against the weakened Kamakura shogunate and briefly restores direct imperial rule, before rival warlords seize power once again.
Ashikaga Takauji breaks with Emperor Go-Daigo, establishes a rival imperial court, and installs himself as the new shogun in Kyoto, marking the beginning of the Muromachi period.
A succession struggle within the Ashikaga shogunate escalates into a devastating civil war that reduces Kyoto to ruins and marks the beginning of more than a century of continuous warfare between rival daimyo.
Portuguese ships reach Tanegashima and introduce firearms and Christian missionaries to Japan, drastically changing military technique and the religious landscape.
Tokugawa Ieyasu achieves a decisive victory over a coalition of rival daimyo, making him the de facto ruler of Japan and paving the way for the establishment of his shogunate.
After centuries of civil war, Tokugawa Ieyasu unites Japan and establishes a strictly isolated, peaceful rule from Edo.
A major Christian peasant uprising on Kyushu is harshly suppressed by the shogunate, leading to a further closing of Japan to foreign influences.
Onder relatieve vrede en stabiliteit ontstaat een levendige burgercultuur in steden als Edo, Osaka en Kyoto, met kabuki, ukiyo-e en literatuur.
Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune carries out administrative and economic reforms to stabilize the shogunate's finances and increase agricultural production.
Volcanic eruptions and failed harvests cause a devastating famine, followed by widespread peasant uprisings and urban unrest throughout Japan.
The American naval officer Matthew Perry appears off the coast of Japan with his 'black ships' and forces the shogunate to open ports for foreign trade.
Power returns to the emperor and Japan begins a radical modernization along Western lines.
Japan receives its first modern constitution, based on the Prussian model, with a parliament (Diet) alongside the emperor.
Japan defeats the Russian Empire, the first time an Asian country has defeated a European great power in a modern war.
After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, Japan surrenders unconditionally.
After the devastation of the Second World War, Japan rises again as a pacifist democracy and industrial power.
Japan presents itself as a modern, peace-loving nation with the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Speculation on real estate and stocks leads to an enormous economic bubble in Japan.
The economic bubble bursts, leading to years of stagnation and deflation.
Een zware aardbeving en tsunami veroorzaken een nucleaire ramp in de kerncentrale van Fukushima.
Premier Shinzo Abe lanceert een ambitieus economisch beleid om deflatie te bestrijden en groei te stimuleren.
Japan hosts the postponed Olympic Games during the global coronavirus pandemic, largely without spectators.
The assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shocks Japan and accelerates a historic shift away from the pacifist post-war defence policy.
Japan presents itself at the Osaka World Expo as a frontrunner in sustainable technology, while at the same time investing heavily to revive its lost semiconductor industry.
Japan's population falls below 110 million inhabitants as care robots, AI assistants and immigration reforms are structurally deployed to keep the ageing society running.
A speculative look at Japan's future, in which robotics, AI and demographic decline profoundly restructure society.
Met de zogeheten 'drie pijlen' van monetaire verruiming, fiscale stimulering en structurele hervormingen probeert de regering Abe de langdurige economische malaise te doorbreken. Het beleid brengt tijdelijk optimisme en een zwakkere yen, maar structurele problemen zoals een krimpende beroepsbevolking en hoge staatsschuld blijven bestaan, wat de effectiviteit van de hervormingen beperkt.