The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire covers several decades of Japanese history. The book identifies Japanese beliefs, policies and practices from 1853 to the Pacific War. It describes Japan's opening to modernization with the arrival of Matthew Calbraith Perry in the country in 1853, and details the wars launched by Emperor Meiji and Emperor Hirohito during the 19th and 20th centuries.The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire is a study of the various stages involved in Japan becoming an Empire. This began with Japan's first war against China (1894 - 1895), Japan's war against Russia (1904 - 1905), the attack by Japanese troops on the American fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and ended with Japan's entry into the Second World War.In the second part, the book describes the fate of Japan after the Second World War. Immediately after the surrender, under American leadership, a period of occupation set in. In 1947, a new constitution was promulgated. This legal document officially sealed the fall of the Japanese empire.