Historical Dictionary of United States-Japan ... - Bakumatsu Films

224 • SATSUMA DOMAIN
of the anti-U.S.–Japan Security Treaty movement every 10 years
when the Treaty came for renewal, the Sato administration decided to
maintain the Treaty with automatic extension for one year every year
without renewal or abolishment of the Treaty. On 11 December 1967,
at a meeting of the Lower House Budget Committee, Sato clearly
stated for the first time the Japanese non-nuclear principles of not
producing, not possessing, and not allowing the entry of nuclear
weapons into the country. With the three non-nuclear principles, Sato
decided to operate the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty. With his policies
including the three non-nuclear principles, he received the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1974.
SATSUMA DOMAIN (KAGOSHIMA PREFECTURE). With its
capital city at Kagoshima, Satsuma was a large, samurai-dominated
domain led by the Shimazu clan. Satsuma adopted Western learning,
manufacturing, and sciences—even before Commodore Matthew
Perry arrived in Japan in 1853. In 1864, Satsuma began sending a
few of its young samurai to England to study Western subjects. In addition
to Satsuma’s long-standing trade relations with the Ryukyu Islands
and China, American and British merchants began trading with
the domain in the late 1850s independently of the control of the
Tokugawa shogunate. After the Kagoshima Bombardment in
1863, Satsuma domain became even more determined to learn Western
sciences—especially weaponry. A leader in the “revere the emperor,
expel the barbarian” movement, many Satsuma leaders were
more dedicated to overthrowing the Tokugawa shogunate than expelling
Westerners.
After distancing themselves from Aizu domain—their nominal
ally and Tokugawa supporter—Satsuma formed an alliance with
Choshu domain in 1866 and together led the forces that overthrew
the Tokugawa shogunate and restored the emperor to control over
Japan in 1868. Satsuma’s forces, calling themselves the “imperial
army,” then fought against Aizu domain and their allies in the Boshin
War, forcing Aizu’s surrender in November 1868. As with Choshu
domain, many Satsuma samurai became leaders in the Meiji government.
In 1877, Saigo Takamori, a Satsuma samurai and former minister
of the army in the Meiji government, led a failed uprising
against the Meiji government known as the Satsuma Rebellion. In