Yamanashi Entrance Social Studies flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Ritsuryō system

Legal and administrative code system modeled on Tang China, adopted from the seventh century, that placed land and people under state control and organized government into central and local offices.

Shōen

Private landed estates that grew from the Heian period, often exempt from taxation, held by nobles, temples, or warriors; their expansion weakened central state control.

Kamakura shogunate

Military government established by Minamoto no Yoritomo around 1185, appointing shugo and jitō to govern provinces and estates, and repelling Mongol invasions in 1274 and 1281.

Taika Reform

Series of reforms from 645 that aimed to abolish private landholding, introduce a nationwide land and tax system, and strengthen imperial rule following the ritsuryō model.

Sankin-kōtai

Edo-period rule requiring daimyō to alternate residence between their domains and Edo, and to leave family members in Edo, strengthening shogunate control over them.

Taikō kenchi

Land survey conducted under Toyotomi Hideyoshi from the 1580s that measured fields, recorded cultivators, and fixed rice tax obligations, supporting unified rule.

Sakoku policy

Edo shogunate restrictions from the 1630s that banned Christianity and overseas travel, and limited foreign trade mainly to Dutch and Chinese merchants at Nagasaki.

Sekigahara

Battle in 1600 in which Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated a western coalition, leading to the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603 and the Edo period.

Charter Oath

Five-point declaration of 1868 promising deliberative assemblies, national unity, opening of opportunities, replacement of feudal customs, and knowledge sought worldwide.

Meiji Constitution

Constitution of 1889 establishing a bicameral Diet and cabinet while making the emperor sovereign; it remained in force until replaced in 1947.

Treaty of Portsmouth

Agreement of 1905 ending the Russo-Japanese War; Japan gained influence in Korea and southern Sakhalin, but the terms disappointed many Japanese and sparked riots.

Universal male suffrage

Right of all adult men to vote, granted in Japan in 1925; the same year the Peace Preservation Law restricted political and social movements.

Zaibatsu

Large family-controlled industrial and financial combines that grew in the Meiji era and were dissolved after World War II by occupation reforms.

Article 9

Constitutional clause renouncing war as a sovereign right and forbidding maintenance of armed forces with war potential; its interpretation is a major political issue.

Popular sovereignty

Constitutional principle that political authority ultimately rests with the people rather than the emperor, one of the three principles of the 1947 Constitution.

Collective responsibility

Principle that the cabinet as a whole must answer to the Diet, so a no-confidence vote obliges the cabinet to resign or dissolve the House of Representatives.

House of Councillors

Upper house of the Diet with members serving six-year terms; half of its seats are contested every three years, and it cannot be dissolved.

Constitutional review

Power of the Supreme Court and lower courts to judge whether laws and official acts conform to the Constitution, exercised in concrete cases.

Real GDP

Gross domestic product measured at constant prices, removing the effect of inflation or deflation, so changes reflect actual output growth.

Fiscal policy

Government use of spending and taxation to influence the economy, for example raising spending to stimulate demand during a recession.

Primary balance

Government revenue minus spending excluding interest payments on past debt; a surplus means new borrowing is not needed for current spending.

Progressive taxation

Tax system in which the rate rises as income rises, as with Japan's income tax, intended to reduce inequality in after-tax income.

Consumption tax

Tax levied on most goods and services at the point of sale, raised to 8 percent in 2014 and 10 percent in 2019 in Japan.

Yen appreciation

A rise in the yen's value against foreign currencies, making exports more expensive abroad and imports cheaper at home.

Population pyramid

Graph showing the number of people by age and sex; a wide base indicates high birth rates, while a narrow base indicates an aging population.

Contour lines

Lines on a map joining points of equal elevation; close spacing indicates steep slopes, and V shapes pointing uphill mark valleys.

Map scale

Ratio between map distance and real distance; at 1:50,000, one centimeter on the map represents 500 meters on the ground.

Primary source

Document, object, or record created at the time of an event by a participant or witness, used as direct evidence in historical study.

Baiu rain front

Seasonal front that brings prolonged rainy weather to Japan from mid-June to mid-July, followed by hot, humid summer conditions.

Seto Inland Sea climate

Mild regional climate with relatively low rainfall year-round because surrounding mountains block monsoon moisture, and occasional water shortages.

Chūkyō industrial region

Industrial belt centered on Nagoya that produces automobiles, machinery, and ceramics, and is one of Japan's three major industrial zones.

Dependency ratio

Number of people under 15 and over 64 divided by the working-age population, multiplied by 100, showing the burden on workers.