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In Korean history, the Period of Japanese Rule or Iljeong Sidae (일정시대; 日政時代; "Period of Japanese Rule") in Korean) describes the period from 1910 to 1945, when Korea (at that time called Chosun) was ruled by Japan.

In 1910 Japan annexed Korea by Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty. Korea continued to be ruled by Japan until Japan's surrender to the Allied Forces on 15 August 1945.

During the period of Japanese rule Koreans were deprived of many rights, including freedom of assembly and association, free speech and an independent press. A Japanese school system was introduced, which led to increase the number of Korean who could receive oppotunities to study at school. The Korean as well as the Japanese language was used early in the Period of Japanese Rule. During the last years of the war subjects such as Korean history and language were dropped in favour of their Japanese equivalents.

Modern transport and communication networks were established across the nation. This facilitated Japanese commerce. Koreans were barred from engaging in similar activities. Many farmers were stripped of the land they were farming on during the ownership registration process. This was due to the Japanese landowners forcing them from their land. Joint ownership as it was common in Korea at the time was not recognized by Japan and this lead to many disputes over land ownership. Many Koreans blame Japanese rule for the mass expulsion of Korean landowners from their property.

After the former Korean emperor Gojong had died, anti-Japanese rallies took place nationwide on 1 March 1919 (the March 1st (Samil) Movement). A declaration of independence was read in Seoul. It is estimated that 2 million people took part in these rallies. The protests were violently suppressed: according to Japanese records, 8437 were arrested, 553 killed and 1409 wounded.

As a result, Japanese rule in Korea was strengthened. The Japanese were blamed for oppression and continuous exploitation of Korea's resources while, in fact, a major factor for poverty was high interest rates pressed on farmers by Japanese landowners. As a by-product of Japanese rule, Korea was industrialized. Also, the average lifetime expectation rose from 26 years to 42 years (1945) and the population increased twofold.

Continued anti-Japanese rallies, such as the nationwide uprising of students in November 1929, led to the strengthening of military rule in 1931. After the outbreaks of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937 and World War II Japan attempted to eliminate Korea as a nation. Worship at Japanese Shinto shrines was made compulsory. The school curriculum was radically modified to reflect the changed policies. Korean people were given an opportunity to adopt Japanese names whilst the celebration of Korean culture was discouraged. The study of Korean history was banned at university. Hundreds of thousands of able-bodied Koreans were drafted to work in Japanese mines and factories under the formal procedure. Many Korean men,as well as the Japanese, were forced to join the Japanese military. In addition, so-called "comfort women" were taken from their homes to provide sexual services to the army.

A self-professed "Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea" was established during the Period of Japanese Rule in Shanghai. On December 11, 1941 the organization declared war on Japan, even though it was not widely recognized as a legitimate government. It fought with its Korean Restoration Army alongside the Allied Forces.

Seven days after the sundering of the friendship Pact, Soviet tanks invaded Korea from Siberia, meeting little to no resistance. Japan surrendered to the Allied Forces on 15 August 1945, ending 35 years of Japanese rule. US forces under General Hodge, would not arrive to southern part of Korea until September 8th. Colonel Dean Rusk proposed splitting Korea at the 38th parallel at an emergency US meeting to determine spheres of influence during this time.

Efforts by the "Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea" to establish control over Korea at the conclusion of the war were resisted by both United States and Soviet occupation authorities. The US occupation authorities viewed the self-proclaimed government as a communist insurgency and resisted the "Provisional Government". Biterness over the division of Korea into two halves by Soviet and US occupation authorities is widely felt by many Koreans to this day.

See also

• List of Japanese governors-general in Korea
• History of Korea
• Imperialism in Asia
• Japanese Empire
• List of Korea-related topics

• Korean history