Historical Timeline
The following events mark significant moments in Japanese national history that tie into the suppression and whitewashing of histories addressed by the six exhibitions included in our project.
1336 - Beginning of Indigenous Ainu Subjugation in Ezo (Modern-Day Hokkaido) by Japanese Mainland
1868 - Beginning of the Meiji Restoration and the 'Modernization' of Japan
1869 -Hokkaido and the Ainu Population Become Japanese Territory at the End of the Boshin War
1895 -Taiwan Colonized Under Japanese Rule as a Result of the Treaty of Shimonoseki
1879 - Annexation of Ryūkyū Kingdom, Territory Renamed as Okinawa Prefecture Under Japanese Jurisdiction
1899 - 'Hokkaido Former Aborigines Protection Act' Passes, Denying Ainu of Indigenous Status
1910 - Annexation of Korea as a Japanese Colony
1931 - Manchurian Incident
1937 - Nanjing Massacre
1941 -Imperial Japan's Attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawai'i
1942 - U.S. Victory During Battle of Midway Weakens Imperial Japanese Authority in the Pacific Region
1945 - Battle of Okinawa Results in the Deaths of Over Half of Okinawan Population
- US Atomic Bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- Surrender of Japanese Empire and End of Japan's Colonization of the Pacific
- Beginning of American Occupation in Japan (Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers SCAP)
1946 - International Military Tribunal for the Far East Begins for the Trials of Imperial Japanese War Criminals
1947 - Constitution of Japan Comes into Effect Under the Supervision of SCAP
1952 - U.S. Occupation in Japan Ends Under the 'Treaty of San Francisco'
- 'Japan-U.S. Security Treaty' Goes Into Effect, 10-Year Treaty Allowing Continued U.S. Military Presence
1960 - 'Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security' Between the United States and Japan Passed
1975 - Takeo Miki Becomes First Prime Minster to Visit Yasukuni Shrine Following End of WWII
1982 - Ministry of Education Alters "Aggression" to "Advancement" in Textbooks Describing Japan During WWII
1993 - 'Kono Statement' released by Chief Cabinet Member Yohei Kono Acknowledging "Comfort Women"
- 'History Examination Committee' Formed to Manage Public Depictions of Imperial Japanese History
1994 - Controversial 'Asian Women's Fund' Established as Monetary Reparation to "Comfort Women"
1995 - U.S. Military Personnel Rapes 12-Year-Old Girl, Prosecution Null Due to Extraterritorial Status
- U.S. and Japan Agree to Reduce US Military Bases and Return Futnema to Okinawa by 2001
1997 - 'Promotion of Ainu Culture' Act Passed to Preserve Ainu History and Culture
- 'Society for History Textbook Reform' is Established to "Rectify Civic Education" in Japan
- 'Young Diet Member’s Association for Japan’s Future and History Education' Established
- 'Japan Conference' (Nippon Kaigi) Established, forming Japan's largest Rightwing Lobby
1998 - Japanese Government Legally Bound by Court Decision to Compensate "Comfort Women"$2,300 Each.
1999 - Cancellation of Plans to Construct Tokyo Metropolitan Peace Memorial Museum
2001 - U.S. and Japan Break Agreement to Reduce Military Bases in Okinawa due to National Security
2007 - Prime Minister Abe Shinzō Denies Evidence of "Comfort Women"
- 'Asian Women's Fund' for "Comfort Women" Reparations Dissolved by the Abe Administration
- Abe Administration reforms the Education Laws to Bring Wartime ‘Moral Education’ back into Curriculum
- 100 Liberal Democratic Party Lawmakers Denounce Nanjing Massacre as a "Chinese Political Fabrication"
2011 - The Great Tōhoku Earthquake
- Fukushima Nuclear Accident
- First "Statue of Peace" Commemorating "Comfort Women" Erected in Seoul, Korea
2012 - Korean Photographer Ahn Sehong's Exhibition Depicting "Comfort Women" Cancelled by Nikon
2015 - Hikaru Fujii guest directs "The Construction of History..." at Aomori Contemporary Art Center
- Original "Our Unfreedom of Expression" Exhibition Held at Gallery Furuto in Tokyo
2016 - "Loose Lips Save Ships" is Held at MOT and Subjected to Censorship
- U.S. Military Personnel rape and murder Okinawan Woman, Prosecution Hard due to Extraterritorial Status
2017 - Protests Spread Throughout Okinawa Regarding Announcement to Construct U.S. Henoko Military Base
2018 - Bontaro Dokuyama's "Public archive" Exhibition Confronts History of "Comfort Women"
- Osaka Terminates its Sister-City Relationship with San Francisco due to "Comfort Women" Statue.
2019 - Japan Legally Recognizes Ainu Population as Indigenous People through 'Ainu Promotion Act'
- "Unfreedom of Expression" Exhibit at Aichi Triennale Closed Over Inclusion of "Statue of Peace"
- Funding for "Japan Unlimited" Exhibition Withdrawn by Japanese Embassy in Vienna, Austria
- "Making a Perfect Donut" Documentary Released by Kyun-Chome Covering U.S. Presence in Okinawa