UCLA Asia Institute
Today in Asian History
January 7
1902 The Guangxu emperor of China and the
Empress Dowager returned to
Beijing. They had fled the capital when Allied Powers invaded in 1900. 1906 Prince Saionji Kimmochi became Prime Minister
of Japan. 1924 Kiyoura Keigo took over as Japanese prime
minister. 1954 United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower
(1953-61) declared "We shall maintain indefinitely our bases in Okinawa
[Japan]." This pledge was made during the president's state of the union address. The
United States maintained complete control over the island until 1972 and continues to
operate several bases on the island. Okinawa: The
American Years is a site which includes brief biographical entries, photographs, a
chronology, suggestions for further reading a more. 1972 U.S. President Richard M. Nixon (1969-74) and
Japanese Prime Minister Sato Eisaku met at the "Western White House" in San
Clemente, California to determine the date when sovereignty over Okinawa would be returned
to the Japanese. They decided on May 15, 1972. 1979 Vietnamese armed forces occupied Phnom Penh,
capital of Cambodia, driving out Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.Vietnam remained in control
of Cambodia until 1989. Bruce Sharp's website, Beauty and Darkness: Cambodia in Modern History,
details the terror of the Pol Pot regime. The CIA Factbook resources on
Cambodia offers statistical information on the nation. Cambodia Web offers a
well-illustrated, if sanitized brief history of Cambodia. 1989 The Showa emperor of Japan, Hirohito, died
and was succeeded by his son, the Heisei emperor, Akihito. Hirohito became emperor in
1926, though he previously served as regent for the Taisho emperor. The AI "Today in Asian History" page was compiled by Clayton Dube.
He welcomes your comments and suggestions. Send them to <cdube@isop.ucla.edu>. Copyright
1998-2001 by the UCLA Asia Institute.
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