This is a brief history of Japanese science since the beginning of Japan as a modern state in 1868 to the end of the Second World War. It focuses on five aspects: The intellectual training in Chinese studies prior to the period was significant for the reception of Western science. Chinese ideograms were effectively utilized for creating technical terms for science. Western science and technology were intensively implanted in approximately the first 30 years with the help of a large number (...) of hired foreign experts, unparalleled in modern world history. A few major scientific personalities and a new, leading research institute emerged around the First World War. The wartime expansion of research expenditure occurred and Japanese research institutes were established in China. Maturity of Japanese science was attained, as seen in an example of theoretical physics. (shrink)