DEVOLPMENT OF THE JAPANESE STATE (JPSTATE)
Taking place after the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, this era, which lasted from 1868 – 1889, saw the establishment of a constitutional government in Japan and the beginning of Japanese Industrialization and Westernization.
Meiji Restoration/Period/Era
First established as the League of Nations in 1920 after the First World War, this international organization eventually re-established itself in 1946, after the Second World War, with the goal of international peace and security.
United Nations (UN)
This word means "goodbye," but is usually used when you won’t see someone for a while.
Sayonara
Although informal, this hierarchical relationship which is particularly observed in organizations, clubs, and schools involves the mutual respect and obligation between a senior, someone with more experience, and a junior, someone with less experience.
Senpai-Kōhai
Releasing its first game in the series in 1996 for the Game Boy, and debuting its first anime episode in 1997, this beloved series features, what is translated in Japanese as, "Poketto Monsutā".
Pokemon
One of the daimyo responsible for unifying Japan as a state, he led the “Battle of Sekigahara” in 1600, and had a shogunate, during the Edo Period, that lasted for approximately 250 years.
Tokugawa Ieyasu
First founded on August 8, 1967 by the then Foreign Minsters of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, this international organization eventually reached 10 member states with Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Translate this Japanese word into English: テレビ
Television
Originating in Japan in the 3rd or 2nd century BCE as the source of indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the Japanese people, this religion, with no single founder or official sacred scripture, literally translates to “the way of kami”.
Shinto
Entertaining audiences since August 31, 2007, this idol, who has blue-green hair and is associated with spring onions, was the first "vocaloid" developed by Crypton Future Media.
Hatsune Miku
Honored as Emperor Shōwa, he is, to this date, Japan's longest-reigning emperor and is most famously known for being the reigning emperor during the Second World War.
Emperor Hirohito
With a forum that is composed of 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade and economic cooperation, this international organization was founded in 1989 in response to the growing interdependence of Asia-Pacific economies.
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
This particle is used to mark the subject of a sentence in Japanese and often appears in basic sentences like "Watashi __ gakusei desu".
は (wa)
A complex phenomenon with a wide range of potential causes including societal pressures, bullying, and underlying mental health conditions, this term is used to describe a state of severe social withdrawal, typically seen in adolescents or young adults.
Hikikomori
A representation of "the fears that many Japanese held about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki...", this 120m tall Kaiju debuted in 1954.
Godzilla
Known for coining the phrase “Heaven did not create men above men, nor set man below man.”, he founded Keio University in 1858 and was prominently featured on the ¥10,000 note before being replaced by Shibusawa Eiichi.
Fukuzawa Yukichi
After Henry Dunant witnessed the “Battle of Solferino” in 1859, this international organization, which was founded in 1863, became a key player in the adoption of the first Geneva Convention in 1864.
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
This kanji 山 is seen in the name 富士山 (Fujisan), one of Japan’s famous landmarks. What does it translate to?
Yama/Mountain
With the most common medical causes being heart attacks and strokes due to either stress or malnourishment, the sudden death resulting from this term, which can be translated as “overwork death”, is occupation-related.
Karoshi
The first anime film to ever win an oscar, this film, released in 2001, features Shintoism extensively and is considered to be one of the highest acclaimed films ever made by Studio Ghibli.
Spirited Away
Taking place from 1904-1905, this war not only witnessed the first naval battle of the 20th century in the "Battle of Tsushima", it also cemented Japan's place as the first Asian nation to defeat a European power in modern times.
Russo-Japanese War
Established in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference which had the initial goal of creating a new international economic system after World War II, these two international organizations (yes, 2!) are now responsible for long-term economic development and poverty reduction, and macroeconomic and financial stabilization, respectively.
World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Translate this Japanese sentence into English: わたしは トヨタの 車 を うんてんします。
I drive a Toyota car
An abbreviation for the Japanese words meaning “report, communicate, and consult”, this term, which is a homonym for the Japanese word for “Spinach”, is a cornerstone of Japanese Business culture and principle.
Ho-Ren-Sō
This Japanese film maker is known for making Samurai films like Seven Samurai (1954), Yojimbo (1961), and even The Hidden Fortress (1958), which inspired George Lucas to make the original Star Wars trilogy.
Akira Kurosawa