Japanese colonial empire

Japanese colonial empire
1895–1945
Flag
The Empire of Japan in 1942   Japan   Colonies / Mandates   Puppet states / Protectorates / Occupied territories
Status	Colonial empire
Capital	Tokyo City (1895–1943) Tokyo (1943–)
Common languages	Japanese Local: Korean (Korea), Taiwanese Hokkien (Taiwan), Formosan languages (Taiwan)
History
• Established	1855
• Disestablished	1945[1]
Currency	Japanese yen, Japanese military yen, Korean yen, Taiwanese yen

The territorial conquests of the Empire of Japan in the Western Pacific Ocean and East Asia began in 1895 with its victory over Qing China in the First Sino-Japanese War.^[1] Subsequent victories over the Russian Empire (Russo-Japanese War) and German Empire (World War I) expanded Japanese rule to Taiwan, Korea, Micronesia, southern Sakhalin, several concessions in China, and the South Manchuria Railway. In 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria, resulting in the establishment of the puppet state of Manchukuo the following year; thereafter, Japan adopted a policy of founding and supporting puppet states in conquered regions. These conquered territories became the basis for the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere in 1940.

Including Mainland Japan, colonies, occupied territories, and puppet states, the Empire of Japan at its apex was one of the largest empires in history. The total amount of land under Japanese sovereignty reached 8,510,000 km² (3,300,000 sq mi) in 1942.^[2] By 1943, it accounted for more than 20% of the world's population at the time with 463 million people in its occupied regions and territories.^[3][4]

After Japan was defeated by the Allies in 1945, colonial control from Tokyo over the far-flung territories ended. The extent of Japanese governance was restricted to the naichi (excepting Karafuto Prefecture, which was annexed by the Soviet Union); the Nanpō and Ryūkyū Islands were returned to Japan by the US in 1968 and 1972 respectively.

The territorial expansion of the Japanese colonial empire was marked by aggression towards other nations, with the Japanese committing numerous atrocities and war crimes, killing millions.^[5]