In what year did the Mongols first invade Japan?

The Mongols first invaded Japan in 1274, during the reign of Kublai Khan and the Yuan dynasty.

The expedition was launched after Japan refused to accept Kublai's demands for submission and diplomatic recognition. The invasion force was assembled largely in Korea and included Mongol, Korean, Chinese, and Jurchen troops, along with sailors and support personnel. It first attacked the islands of Tsushima and Iki before landing on Kyushu.

The invaders fought Japanese forces around Hakata Bay, near present-day Fukuoka. Mongol troops used coordinated formations, explosives, firearms, and massed archery—tactics unfamiliar to many Japanese defenders. After several days, the Yuan-led force withdrew to its ships. A storm or other severe weather then contributed to substantial losses during the retreat.

This first invasion was followed by a much larger attempt in 1281. The two invasions helped inspire the Japanese term kamikaze, meaning “divine wind,” for the typhoons traditionally credited with destroying the invasion fleets.