Vo Nguyen Giap. 1912-. Viet Minh commander 1946-54, 1966-75. Minister of Defence 1954-. Tet Offensive. Defeated Japanese 1942-5, French 1946-54, US 66-76.

Wang Ching-wei. 1883-1944. Chiang Kai-shek rival. Governor of Japanese China 1938-44.

Washington Conference. 1921-2. Naval arms limitation treaty. Four Power Pacific Treaty: US, Japan, Britain, France.

World War II. 1939-45. Allies-Britain, France, US(1941-), Russia(1941-) vs Axis-Italy, Germany, Japan, Russia(-1941). Caused by German Totalitarian expansionism resulting from WWI reparations and fear of Communism. 55M dead. 35M wounded. 30M refugees. Cost $US 1500B. Led to United Nations, Soviet power, State of Israel, atomic weapons.

Xian Incident. 1936. Chiang Kai-shek captured and forced to unite with Communists to fight Japanese.

Yalta Conference. 1945. Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin. Decided partition of Europe after WWII. USSR enters war vs Japan. Potsdam. San Francisco Peace.

Yamagata Aritomo. 1838-1922. Japanese statesman. Modernized army.

Yamamoto Isoroku. 1884-1943. Japanese admiral. Led Pearl Harbor attack 1941.

Yamashita Tomoyuki. 1885-1946. Japanese commander in Philippines. Conquered Singapore, Bataan March. Executed.

Yi. 1392-1910. Korean dynasty. Isolationist to 1876. Ended by Japanese annexation.

Yukawa Hideki. 1907-81. Japanese physicist. Predicted mesons 1935.

Zaibatsu. 1868-1946. Japanese family owned-cartels. Mitsui. Mitsubishi. Sumitomo. Yasuda.

Zeami Motokiyo. 1363-1443. Japanese No drama theorist, playwright. Kaden-sho 1400.

Zen Buddhism. 6C-. Sect founded by Bodhidharma. Sudden Enlightenment by meditation on Koan paradoxes. 1191 imported to Japan.