Tokyo, which officially known as Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital city of Japan and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of around 13.5 million people.
Tokyo was founded as a village called Edo (estuary), which is a reference to the physical location where the Sumida River meets Tokyo Bay. After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the city was renamed Tokyo – where to means east and kyo means capital – when it became the imperial capital city.
World War II
Mass destruction technology peaked during World War II. Tokyo, Japan was a target of advancing and innovative U.S. airpower. Air raids on the Japanese citizens in Tokyo were frequent and unexpected. Firebombs and napalm were dropped on the city to cause mass destruction and instill terror (Selden, 2016, p. 3). These air raids caused a vast number of casualties according to the Strategic Bombing Survey. The Japanese government ordered evacuations of children out of the city followed by women and the elderly. March 9-10, 1945 marks the most destructive bombing raid in history (Selden, 2016, p. 4). Tokyo was reduced to rubble. When Japan refused to surrender, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki devastating the nation.
In the aftermath of World War II, the Tokyo War Crimes Trials were held in Tokyo, Japan. These trials prosecuted Japan’s military officers for their wartime crimes reinforcing a national victimhood perspective of the war (Fretwell, 2016).
Tokyo has become economically stable and highly populated since the war. The city contains years of war history, including air raids and the Trials, as well as decades of rebuilding. Just as numerous museums and memorials are located in Washington D.C., America’s capital, many national and peace museums are located in Tokyo, Japan. The Showakan is one of these national museums. Today, millions of tourists visit Tokyo every year for its history and technology.
References
- Fretwell, L. (2016). What defined war memorials in Japan during the postwar and what impact did they have on Japan? Merici 2: 69-75. Retrieved from http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/n2328/pdf/ch08.pdf
- Lessons Learned: The Firebombing of Tokyo. (2012). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdAvWfVD5Fk
- Megerman, S. (2000). The Tokyo War Crimes Trials (1946-48): Notes, Selected Links & Bibliography. Retrieved May 12, 2020, from http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/tokyo/tokyolinks.html
- Selden, M. (2016). American Fire Bombing and Atomic Bombing of Japan in History and Memory. The Asia-Pacific Journal, 14(23), 1–17.
- Toda, K. (n.d.). Facts & Figures. Retrieved May 12, 2020, from https://businesseventstokyo.org/why-tokyo-now/facts-figures/
- Tokyo’s History, Geography, and Population. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2020, from https://www.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/ENGLISH/ABOUT/HISTORY/history01.htm
