..Japanese History

 

Government: Prince Shotoku (574-622), a member of the imperial clan, exercised political leadership from the end of the sixth century to the beginning of the seventh century. After Empress Suiko ascended to the throne in 593 as Japan's first female monarch, Shotoku took over the reins of political power as her regent. He created Japan's first constitution, known as the Seventeen-Article Constitution, which established rules for officials engaged in political affairs. For example, it stipulated that officials serving in the imperial court must obey the orders of the reigning monarch and that there must be fair trials.

Ninja and Samurai: Ninja were professional spies during the age of the samurai. Their origins go back to the twelfth century, when the samurai class began to gain power. When the scale of fighting increased in the fourteenth century, it became necessary to conduct espionage activities against enemy forces, and ninja became even more active. Ninja were called upon by their feudal lords to gather information, plunder the enemy's food and weapon supplies, and lead the way in nighttime attacks. They received specialized training and were given special duties. Ninja remained active until the beginning of the Edo period (1603-1868), when social order was restored by the government in Edo (now Tokyo).

 

The Dropping of the Atomic Bombs: The first atomic bomb was dropped by the U.S. military over Hiroshima, a city in southwestern Honshu - Japan's main island - on August 6, 1945, near the end of World War II. So far about 200,000 people have died from this bomb, including from its radioactive fallout. The second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, a city in Kyushu, three days later on August 9. About 110,000 people have died as a result of this bombing.