-modern republic formed in 1943

-no Perry expedition

-in 1857, French admiral Genouilly, having ensured client rule over French Daughter Republics > Formosan Republic, declares his intention to open up Japan with threat and display of force, regency governing it for ill Iesada says yeah and signs treaty opening it to trade

-similar treaties signed with United States of America and British Isles

-Ref

-with diff politics at play (namely need for effective leadership) he ascends to power, also abe masahiro lives a few years longer with slightly less stress

-embarks on ambitious plan of modernization with French assistance

-komei, not wanting to be beat by man people talk about like second ieyasu, issues edict on expelling barbarians in 1865

-results in anglo satsuma war and total british victory

-successfully defeats choshu domain in military expedition (after it too got bombarded by western ships) in 1868, weakening emperor's position and giving him more support from daimyos, also revokes choshu lands from daimyos' control

-rising financial crisis in the daimyos results in yoshinobu promoting centralization, some other daimyos nationalized (and others lose responsibilities)

-but far more sluggish than OTL, and takes till the 1880s to finally finish

-with decree of assembly of daimyos in 1886 finally finishing it

-despite more localized attempts at disarming samurai (often after rebellion), yoshinobu unable to issue a decree on the subject till 1891

-makes expedition to invade Korea in 1893, army is less well-drilled and despite a good performance russia (and technically qing) flush it out

-albeit sparking war when bai china protests this as violation of its sovereignty and when the two are mired in war, japan is able to sign unequal treaty with Korea in 1897 (which both sides of war accept because war big)

-additionally sends troops to ryukyu with france distracted by war in europe and china also distracted in its own war

-french resident in formosa rages, but receives orders from paris telling him to sign compromise, which grants japan overlordship over most of ryukyu islands, except miyako and yaeyama, and yoshinobu more than happy to say yes

-however, rage at failure in korea is enough for yoshinobu to accept pondering democratic reforms, and after observing foreign govts makes french-inspired but autocratic constitution securing position of both shogun and emperor, and a legislative body composed of both peers and commoners which passes legislation proposed by council of state and/or a more limited committee nominated by daimyos in 1904

-with Russia's Wars > Young Russian Revolution (1902-8) and ensuing civil war, yoshinobu uses opportunity to seize sakhalin (with much weaker rus presence after china seized vladivostok) and even towards kamchatka

-gets control of sakhalin recognized in exchange for abandoning kamchatka in treaty (1910)

-also unequal treaty with Russia resolved

-son of yoshinobu, recognized as heir previously

-process of renegotiating unequal treaties reaches fruition in this time

-suppression of democratic-republican movement gets violent, results in assassination plot against him revealed, also more violence afterwards

-results in refusal of attempts to take forward democratization, also autocratic legislation

-shocks during period of widescale china-sponsored coups

-suppression of democratic-republican movement and failure to democratize, combined with recession, culminates in revolution and yoshihisa fleeing into exile

-attempt to throne his son fail

1944: Virtually unopposed

1949 def. xxxxx (Association of Workers and Peasants), xxxx (Restoration)

-emperor of japan basically entirely separated from government, made ceremonial official in kyoto as there's not much support for restoring him

-as it becomes clear hayotama is no associationist, associationists break from party

-faces off against restorationist (both royalist and shogunist) rebellions

1954 def.

1959 def.