Significance of the Japan’s Meiji Restoration

Emperor Mutsuhito, who was sixteen at the time, selected the name Meiji for his reign, marking the start of the Meiji Era and Japan’s transition to western imperialism. The Tokugawa Shogunate’s demise ushered in this period, which saw Japan transition from an aristocratic to a modern industrial state. Japan emerged from the Meiji era with a parliament system of government and as the world’s superpower by building its military overseas. (Sumikawa 1). Therefore, the dominance of Japan during the twentieth century can be accredited to the Meiji Restoration era in which Japan modernized its courses towards transformation through Westernization. Had Japan failed to modernized, its imperialist resolves, it would face challenges with an outdated military technology, political in-fighting, and an agrarian economy. A question asked in this essay is whether the Japanese would not have been pressured to avoid succumbing to Western imperialism like the one China had Perry not arrived in the country. Ultimately, the Meiji Restoration was a significant turning point in Japanese history because it culminated in revolutionary transformations in Japan’s political, economic, education, and social structures.

The Meiji administration initially started as an alliance between Choshu and Satsuma. The alliance found it difficult to impose and maintain national unity and from 1868 January to 1869 (June), there was a civil war in the new Meiji government fragmenting it between Tokugawa and the dissenting forces. Eventually, the Tokugawa forces faced defeat and the formerly Shogunate headquarter of Edo, was called Tokyo and selected as the new capital for the nation. The Meiji era in the history of the country marked a noteworthy period, which saw the transformation of Japan by bringing momentous social, political, and economic changes in the country. These changes in turn formed the basis and structure of contemporary Japan as it is presently known.

How did the Shogunate Decline lead to Westernization?

In 1853 (July), Commodore Perry C. Matthew arrived in Japan demanding that the country opens its country to trade relations with the U.S. Realizing that opposing the demand was difficult, the Tokugawa shogunate had no option but to sign in 1854 the Kanagawa Agreement with the U.S. The Treaty opened the Hakodate and Shimoda ports to foreign vessels for repairs and supplies, but did not embrace openings for trade. This marked the start of a sequence of treaties the shogunate was compelled to enter with the Westerners seeking trade opportunities with Japan

Political Changes Brought by Japan’s Meiji Restoration

Immediately after the emperor was restored to power, the new regime promised the people it would create a constitutional administration. The Japanese Constitution was declared in 1889 and different rights and liberties of the residents, starting with the right to political contribution were acknowledged. A year later saw the assembly of the Diet (national assembly) and the constitutional government created. The previous samurais of the Tokugawa era, who during the Meiji assumed the elder statesmen role (genro) were aware that the Constitutional government adoption was necessary for the country to grow wealthy and strong to rate with the Western powers (Sumikawa 2).Consequently; it committed all its efforts to attaining this kind of authority. The constitution was grounded on the European style with the emperor at the top while the legislative and executive powers, army, and navy below. Centralizing the government enabled the collection of taxes thereby allowing people to own their land. This constitutional structure is still in place today (Sumikawa 2).

Education Reforms

The Meiji regime brought reforms in the education sector. One significant and long-lasting reform was the introduction of a mandatory system of education. After some decades of rigorous westernization, the regime revived the country’s nationalistic and conservative feelings by emphasizing and indoctrinating the Shinto and Confucianism principles including the veneration of the emperor (Sumikawa 3).

Military Development

For Japan, militarily development was a priority area in the American and European imperialism. The Meiji regime believed that Westernization could enable it modernize the country’s economy, establish its military, and be an equivalent to the Great Britain, the U.S., Russia, among others. Thus, Perry and the demonstration of America’s military power was the stimulus, which turned around Japanese history in the direction of military growth and modernization through Westernization.

Economic Transformations

Japan’s economic changes were born from the Japanese slogan of enriching the country and strengthening the military. The modernization of Japan’s military needed to begin with industrializing their economy. During the Meiji Restoration, Japan improved its infrastructure by establishing telegraph lines, railways and shipping course between various port cities.

Transforming from an agrarian economy to an industrialized state made Japanese scholarsto go abroad and study Western language and science. Foreign professionals taught in Japan (Sumikawa 9). The Meiji administrators also invested a huge portion of the nationwide income in importing Western expertise and innovation in establishing modern factories.

Conclusion

The Meiji reign ended following the emperor’s death on 30 July 1912. The Meiji restoration marked a period of major transformations in the political, military, education, social and economic sectors, which turned out as the basis of modern Japan. First, from the political standpoint, Japan approved a Constitution and executed a parliamentary form of governance. The foundation for Japan’s present form of government was grounded in the Meiji era by imitating the then Western powers, which were deemed superior. The reign was an effective instrument for ensuring and sustaining a united nation. More critically, it established a close relationship between the local and central administration as well as between one lay people and the main government.

Work Cited

Sumikawa, Shunsuke. “The Meiji Restoration: Roots of Modern Japan.” Diss. LEHIGH (1999). 1-18.