UCLA Asia Institute
Today in Asian History
March 5 1869
The daimyo of Satsuma, Choshu, Tosa, and Hizen formally returned their domains
to imperial control. Young samurai from these western domains (han) had
played key roles in ending Tokugawa rule over Japan in 1867-68. 1927 U.S.
Marines landed in China to protect American property. The troops had been
sought by the U.S. ambassador to China. The Marines left San Diego by ship in
February and reached Shanghai on February 27. They remained aboard ship for
nearly a week, before a dozen were permitted to go ashore. Not until March 21
did the full force disembark. It was soon headed by Gen. Smedley Butler. By
March 5, 1938, the Marines stationed in Shanghai had published ten volumes of
their magazine, The
Walla Walla. The size of the force varied between 1,200 and 1,600
soldiers. With the Japanese occupation of much of China and increasing
U.S.-Japan tension, this force withdrew from Shanghai on November 27-28, 1941.
1932
Dan Takuma, a banker, was assassinated by a member of the Ketsumeidan outside
his offices in Tôkyô. 1940 Cai
Yuanpei, Chinese education leader, died at age 72 in Hong Kong. Cai
succeeded in the imperial examination system and was designated a jinshi
in 1890. He help organize and lead an organization (Kuangfuhui)
opposed to the Qing dynasty. After the overthrow of the Qing, Cai was
designated Minister of Education, a position he held relatively briefly. Cai
travelled to Europe returned to China in 1916 to head Peking
University for the next decade. He helped establish and headed Academica
Sinica from 1928 to 1935. The Peking University website includes
a picture
of Cai and other university presidents. A Chinese
language biography is also available at the PKU website. 1996
Khandkar Mushtaque Ahmed died at age 77. A member of the Bangladesh Awami
League, he was Bangladesh's first foreign minister after the nation became
independent in 1971. After famine helped generate considerable popular
discontent, the military overthrew and killed Bangladesh's founding
president Mujibar Rahman on August 15, 1975. Until November of that year
Khandar served as president of Bangladesh. 1998
The Winter Paralympic Games opened in Nagano. More than five hundred athletes
from thirty-two countries participated, making the Nagano games the largest
Winter Paralympics ever. 2001
Prime Minister MORI Yoshiro's Liberal Democratic Party (Jiyu minshuto 自由民主党)
government
survived a no confidence motion (Fushinninan) put forward by opposition
parties. However several major Japanese newspapers reported that Mori's
faction expects him to soon resign -- ahead of his first anniversary (in
April) as prime minister. The AI "Today in Asian History" page is compiled by
Clayton Dube.
He welcomes your comments and suggestions. Copyright ©
1998-2001 by the UCLA Asia Institute.
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