1549 Saint Francis Xavier, a Portuguese. missionary, arrived in Japan. The Portuguese were the most successful Europeans in initiating major trade agreements with the Japanese.
1603 Tokugawa leyasu was given the title of Shogun by the emperor. This title was held by the dynasty for 265 years.
1630s The Japanese broke ties with all foreigners for the next two hundred years.
1854 Japan agreed to open two ports to the United States for trade.
1868 The Meiji Emperor announced the official return of the imperial power and was declared a divine ruler
1895 Japan conquered Taiwan
1910 Japan conquered Korea
1914 - 1918 World War I - Japan declared war on Germany
1931 Japanese conquered Manchuria
1936 Japan signed a anti-communist pact with Germany and Italy
1940 Japan entered World War II by occupying the northern part of French Indochina
7 December 1941 Japanese attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii
18 July 1944 The government headed by Prime Minister Tojo collapsed
August 1945 The United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
2 September 1945 Japan officially surrendered and World War II ended.