7th Grade UBD - Unit 4 - Modern Japan
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Government- Japan is a democratic
constitutional monarchy.
Economy-After World War II, Japan built a
strong economy that competes with other
industrial powers.
Society and Culture- Japan has an urban
society that blends old traditions and
Western influences.
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After World War II, Japan adopted a new
constitution approved by the United States.
The constitution changed the status of the
emperor and provided for democratic
government.
Japanese have debated the wisdom of
revising parts of the constitution. Japan’s
government , however, has been stable and
democratic.
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Before World War II,
Japan’s constitution
gave the emperor great
power to rule Japan.
The emperor was
considered to be a
descendent of the sun
goddess Amaterasu.
During the war, young
Japanese were taught to
sacrifice their lives for
the emperor.
Reading Activity- Becoming Emperor
Key Term
Constitutional
Monarchy- A
government
with a
democratic
constitution
headed by a
monarch as the
symbolic
leader.
Video International Peace Day
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Article 9 of the Japanese
constitution forces Japan
to give up its right to
make war. It also banned
armed forces that could
attack another country.
Japan has only a small
military force. Its job is
to defend Japan from
attacks. The Japanese
today are mainly
pacifists who oppose all
war.
Key Term
PacifistAnyone who
opposes all
war.
 What is
Article 9 in
Japan’s
postwar
constitution?
Why is it
important?
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Article 9 is the “no-war”
clause in Japan’s
constitution. It forces the
Japanese to give up their
right to make war. It also
banned armed forces that
could attack another
country. Japan is only
allowed to have a small
military force. Their only
job is to defend Japan
from attacks.
 Japan took advantage of its human
resources and opportunities in world
markets to rebuild rapidly after
World War II.
 Japan has become an economic
superpower, but its economy
depends on world trade.
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Buying gifts during
seibo is one of many
Japanese traditions
that foreigners are
learning about. Why is
it important for
foreigners to
understand Japanese
society?
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Japan is a world
economic power,
and people
wanting to do
business there
must understand
its traditions.
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Japan is an island
nation with a
large population.
If an area has
900 people per
square miles,
what would the
total population
be in an area of
30 square miles?
27,000
people
In 1945, Japan was in
ruins. Allied bombers had
smashed its cities,
factories, roads, and
railroads. Most people
were close to starvation.
 With American aid, Japan
began to rebuild. Japan
today is among the
world’s most prosperous
nations.
 Japan has few slums.
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Key Term
Economic
Miracle-The
phrase used to
describe
Japan’s
remarkable
recovery since
1945, when the
country was in
ruins after
World War II.
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Soon after World War II
ended Japan received vital
aid from the United States.
The United States wanted
to help rebuild Japan and its
economy because of the
Cold War conflict between
the United States and
Communist powers in the
Soviet Union and China. So
the United States provided
money and technology to
rebuild Japan after the war.
Key Term
Japan
IncorporatedRefers to the
combination of
government,
business, and labor
leaders in Japan
who have
cooperated to
maximize that
country’s greatest
resource-its
people- and
created Japan’s
global economic
success.
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Japan is an economic
giant. Yet the Japanese
are cautious about the
future.
Japanese leaders worry
about a nation that
depends so heavily on
world trade. Japan’s
economy requires a
world of peace and free
trade.
Also without oil,
Japanese industries
could not operate.
Video Cherry Blossom Festival
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The government of
Japan presented
thousands of Oriental
and Nanking Cherry
trees to the United
States in 1912 as a
gesture of friendship
between the two
nations. The trees were
planted in Washington,
D.C.
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Each April, Washington,
D.C., holds a Cherry
Blossom Festival that
includes a lengthy
parade of marching
bands. High school
bands face tough state
competition in order to
represent their state at
this annual event.
 How did the
United States
help Japan
achieve its
“economic
miracle”?
 The United
States
provided
money and
technology to
rebuild Japan
after World
War II.
 Despite Japan’s
stand as an
economic giant,
many Japanese
say that their
country is
weak. Why do
they say this?
 Japan’s industry
depends on
world trade. A
change in trade
policies or the
outbreak of war
could destroy
Japan’s
economy.
 Such values as loyalty and hard work
remain strong in modern Japan.
 Japanese schools are highly
competitive, partly because
students want to enter the best
universities.
 Japanese enjoy traditional sports
and arts. Western sports and art are
also important.
Today, most Japanese
live in or near cities.
For many home is an
apartment in a highrise building.
 Today, many families
consist of a mother,
father, and a child.
 Men spend long hours
working at large
companies.
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Video Capsule Hotels
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Family bonds remain
strong and children learn
early to respect their
elders and the family.
Japan honors such
values as loyalty,
obedience, and hard
work.
After children are grown,
many leave home to find
work.
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The Japanese stress
education. From an early
age, students are expected to
work hard to get into good
universities. Success in
school sets them on the right
path for the future.
Parents closely monitor their
children’s schoolwork.
Failing grades hurt the entire
family.
More than 87 percent of
students complete high
school.
Key Term
Cram SchoolsPrivate schools
in Japan that
prepare
students for
entrance exams
at top
universities.
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Sumo is Japan’s most
popular spectator sport.
It is also one of the
worlds oldest sports.
It is a competitive fullcontact wrestling sport
where a wrestler
attempts to force
another wrestler out of a
circular ring or to touch
the ground with
anything other than the
soles of the feet.
Key Term
Sumo- Are
Japanese
wrestlers. The
top sumo
wrestlers are
treated like
royalty.
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Samurai, like knights of
Medieval Europe, were
soldiers. They were
honored for their military
skills, bravery, and loyalty
to their lords. After they
were no longer needed
they developed martial
arts, and led in such other
arts as the tea ceremonies
and flower arrangements.
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Han, is the Japanese
word for rice. Rice
appears at every meal in
parts of Asia. It is usually
eaten alone and eaten
last. Most diners eat two
or three bowels of rice,
usually with chopsticks.
Rice is so important and
honored that a special
prefix, “Go” is used for
it. Thus, Japanese usually
call rice go-han.
Video Origami
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In Japan, manga is
produced weekly in 300
page comic book stories.
They consider it cheap
and entertainment for
commuters who read it
and throw it away. In the
U.S. we treasure and
collect comic books. In
Japan they are
consumed, not
collected.
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It is difficult to translate
manga though as Asian
books are read from
right to left, opposite
from most European and
North American books.
Manga books, anime
shows, movies and video
games are winning
awards and becoming
available to a whole new
group of followers.