-modern republic formed in 1943

-no Perry expedition

-in 1857, French admiral Genouilly , having ensured client rule over 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

-and Ezochi ceded fully to Russia

-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

-and because shogun's stature is based on being leader of the samurai, new army is declared as being "new samurai" for the modern era

-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)

-afterwards also commits the country to another period of army reform

-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 reform

-and after observing foreign govts makes french-inspired but autocratic constitution

-securing position of shogun as leader of both military and administration, and emperor as inviolable leader above politics

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

-siege of Petropavlovsk becomes long

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

-in return for assuring Russian people living there

-also unequal treaty with Russia resolved

-son of yoshinobu, recognized as heir previously

-process of renegotiating unequal treaties reaches fruition in this time

-sees Recessions > Panic of 1911

-results in economic chaos as industries across the board crash

-and collapse of vertically-integrated conglomerates

-as well as collapse of one half of Japanese banks as their loans to European banks called, resulting in chaos

-recovery is tepid at best as Yoshinaga extremely reluctant to increase debt and potentially threaten treaty renegotiation

-results in a wave of emigration as people who lose jobs choose to make money for their families through remittances

-also results in a period of constitutional reform

-introduction of "lists of notability" for government positions, thus giving the people a veto on them

-suppression of democratic-republican movement gets increasingly violent

-assassination plot against him revealed which results in very strong anti-terror laws

-more violence afterwards but a lot of quite intense fearmongering emerges

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

-killed during Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923

-which does not exactly do the government's stability any favors in this era

-there's a brief interregnum of sorts

-due to government being thrust into chaos by earthquake

-results in period of mass riots against "enemies of the state" immediately following earthquake

-but in the end it's he who is obvious heir and decided

-earthquake does not exactly do the stability of the government any favors

-and wreaks havoc on the relatively weak recovery from the Great Depression

-aftermath sees the slow reconstruction of fragile economy and national institutions

-as well as the growth of conglomerates which have monopolistic control of economy

-which is direct attempt to prevent the rise of foreign companies to position of domination over Japanese economy

-eventually economy does recover

-sees growth of a very new middle class in the country over the course of the next few decades

-parts of this middle class supports democratic reform, and some parts a full-blown republican movement

-as a result Yoshihisa profoundly reluctant to provide this middle-class with government jobs or influence within it

-rising growth of Japanese Radical Party within middle-class in this era

-in opposition to this class's exclusion from halls of government

-however, Yoshihisa refuses overtures to democratize

-the Chinese Tsuyu-Tungi-Tang movement threatens Japan

-and causes a shock, fears of a China-sponsored coup

-this coup only inspires further panic within Japan

-and military buildup which in practice means eroding its loyalty with conscripts

-and overreacting suppression of movements

-with Recessions > Panic of 1937, dissent increases

-and enhances boom in Radical Party membership

-eventually, with Chinese Revolution, Yoshihisa decides to announce reforms

-these reforms turn out to be almost nothing

-disappointing many

-culminates in revolution and yoshihisa fleeing into exile

-Radical movement organizes something of an army to fight against the Shogunate

-this army does quite well in the brief war in what's more farce than its good fortune

-and eventually Hayotama marches on to Edo to cheering crowds and Yoshihisa pisses away

-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

-in practice this makes figure something akin to the Pope and even maintains the old apparatus

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

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

-including major army rebellions in early years

1954 def.

1959 def.