similar to the covenant's religious equality clause; however, this proposal was ultimately unsuccessful despite a majority of delegations voting for it. This rejection of the proposal has been seen by some historians as an event which contributed to Japan turning away from the Western world in the years after World War I. Japan, by now a great power, continued to expand its influence after the war. Aftermath The prosperity brought on by World War I did not last. Although Japan's light industry had secured a share of the world market, Japan returned to debtor-nation status soon after the end of the war. The ease of Japan’s victory, the negative impact of the Shōwa recession in 1926, and internal political instabilities helped contribute to the rise of Japanese militarism in the late 1920s to 1930s. See also Asian and Pacific theatre of World War I Diplomatic history of the First World War Home front during World War I#Japan References - Japan Further reading Best, Antony, and Oliviero Frattolillo, eds. Japan and the Great War (Springer, 2015) online. Dickinson, Frederick R. War and National Reinvention: Japan in the Great War, 1914-1919 (Harvard U. Asia Center, 1999). 363pp Duus, Peter, ed. The Cambridge history of Japan: The twentieth century (Cambridge University Press, 1989). Saxon, Timothy D. "Anglo-Japanese Naval Cooperation, 1914–1918." Naval War College Review, 53, 1 (2000): 62–92. Strachan, Hew. The First World War: Volume I: To Arms (Oxford University Press, 2003) 455-94. Xu, Guoqi. Asia and the Great War – A Shared History (Oxford UP, 2016) online External links Melzer, Jürgen: Warfare 1914-1918 (Japan), in: 1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War. Dickinson, Frederick R.: Civilian and Military Power (Japan), in: 1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War. Dickinson, Frederick R.: Governments, Parliaments and Parties (Japan), in: 1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War. Schiltz, Michael: Wartime and Post-war Economies (Japan), in: 1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War. Sakamoto, Yuichiro: War Finance (Japan), in: 1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War. 20th-century military history of Japan Empire of Japan Japan in World War I Military history of Japan Wars involving Japan Taishō period