Japan’s economy was primarily agricultural with only 20 percent of its land suitable for cultivation and with tea and silk as major exports. The government invested in agriculture, with agricultural colleges, experimental farming, and providing farmers with technical advice. Imperialism in Japan had an overall positive effect on Japan’s society, the growth of the agricultural sector of the economy helped make possible the growth of Japan’s manufacturing.
Farmers paid taxes that created revenues that the government used for investing in industrial development. Japan was divided into feudal fiefs, ruled by lords or daimyo. To prevent rebellion, the Shogun insisted that the daimyo spend part of every year in the capital, Tokyo (Beasley, 1). Japanese society was divided into separate classes; these were the Daimyo, Samurai, Soldier, Farmers, Artisans/Merchant, and slaves.
“Japan had another ingredient useful for imperial expansion-arrogance- a view of their country as the land favored by the gods, the land that others should recognize as superior” (Hane, 2).
Emperor Meiji Fukuzawa was one of Japan’s most powerful emperors during the imperialism era in the 1800s. Meiji was born on November 3, 1852 inKyōto, Japan; He was the emperor of Japan from 1867-1912, his death. “Japan benefited only from its rapid industrialization but also, from being an island nation. And by having a neighboring military rival a great, but crippled power, China” (Beasley, 1).
Meiji Ishin also known as Meiji Restoration really is renewal, another word in Japanese used to suggest the great cultural changes that went on at that time is yonaoshi. This literally means a change in the world, a change by reconstructing and correcting the world around you. “Empero...
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...national wealth and strength: first, by restoring health to agriculture, so as to enrich the country; second, by reviving samurai discipline and morale, in order to increase military potential”( Beasley, 1).
Imperialism on Japan had benefited Japan, there was a huge growth in agriculture, and the economy strengthened. The government attached great importance to transport development, for it recognized its infrastructural value to the economy and general strength of the nation. From a poor agricultural country, Japan has become the richest industrial state in Asia. Japan has famous the world over for precision goods, cars, and huge tankers. Japan’s factory workers are no longer grossly exploited; employers provide welfare schemes, recreational and educational facilities and housing, nowhere is change more clearly seen than in the structure of Japanese society.
Japan's Modern Myths: Ideology in the Late Meiji Period. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1985. Print. The. Hall, John. The Whitney.
...ch translates to enlightened. Mutsuhito was crowned the Meiji Emperor of Japan in the year 1868. The emperor abolished the office of the shogun. With this, the Samurai class was replaced by a modern military force. Large quantities of peasants were soon conscripted into the army. And with that, the old class system of Japan had been abolished. In the same year, the Charter Oath was signed by Emperor Meiji. The oath was composed of 5 articles which would eventually modernize and westernize Japan. The Oath definitely changed Japan’s politics, and introduced a Western parliamentary constitution.
In 1868, after more than two centuries of self-imposed isolation, Japan finally begun to emerge into the modern world. The beginning of the 16th century saw the Tokugawa family awarded military control of Japan, and the introduction of an isolation policy on their behalf. During this period, starting in the 1630s and ending with the arrival of Matthew Perry in 1853, Japan had extremely limited contact with the outside world. Japanese culture and Japan’s internal economy continued to develop, however, almost completely without foreign influence. After reopening its borders to the rest of the world in 1868, the nation entered a period of rapid modernisation, drawing in technological, cultural, military and educational influences from other countries around the world. The Tokugawa family’s isolation policy had a moderate effect on the modernisation of Japan. The isolation policy had allowed Japan to progress beyond localised warfare, establishing trade and communication routes between previously disconnected localities, and together with the the 250 years of peace enabled by Tokugawa rule, allowed Japan’s continuous development throughout this period. The Tokugawa family’s isolation policy prevented foreign influence, however, separating the country even further from the West. Japan’s modernisation after this period saw the introduction of a bureaucratic government, improvements to their transport system, further improvements to their industrial sector upon those already made during Tokugawa rule, and the implementation of a powerful military. This military along with other things, led the Japanese down the path of rapid international expansion and colonisation (Pyle, 2006).
Shively, Donald H., and William H. McCullough, eds. The Cambridge History of Japan. Vol. 2. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1999. Print.
Modern Japan: A Historical Survey focuses on the economic, political, and social developments by discussing how it shaped modern Japan. An example would be that he describes how the economical growth during the 50s and 60s have impacted social groups of people positively and how social groups have benefited from the rise of the economy. This is a secondary source and the audience are fellow scholars. This source was produced for the sake of analyzing how political, economical, and social developments have shaped modern Japan.
In 1868, The Meiji Restoration in Japan begins as the Emperor Meiji oversees an era of rapid modernization, creates a conscript army, and abolishes the samurai-class ranking which has defined order in Japan since the 1600's. Education is reformed, a constitution is created; a parliament established. Victory in wars with Russia and China will begin the dominant period of Japanese nationalism and influence leading to World War II.
The author reviews different credible sources and comes up with the idea that the blame is not on the Japanese alone. Looking back in history, Japan chose to be an isolated country until the westerners invaded and forced trade
Two Empires In Japan by John M.L. Young and The Christian Confrontation with Shinto Nationalism by Kun Sam Lee were the two books I used for this topic. The former, an intimate 100 year chronicle of the persecution by the Asian government with their demands that all people bow in Kyujo-yohai, ( worshipping the Imperial House from afar); and the struggle of the Japanese Christians in times of compromise and triumph under such totalitarian pressure. The latter a more detailed historical account of old Shinto and the earliest Christian missionaries. The following essay will focus on the conflicting ideologies within Japan between the Shinto militarists and the Protestant mission effort from it¹s germination in 1859 until 1957.
When Meiji was restored as head of Japan in 1868, the nation was militarily weak, had little technological development, and power imbalances with many feudal lords that were ruling. The United States and Europe had also played a hand in forcing Japan to humiliating tasks, after Commodore M. Perry forced Japan to open up trade. After the Meiji period and the restorations that they brought, Japan had advanced through one of the most amazing transformations, that the world still can not believe.
Around 1600, Japan had been caught up in a civil war for the last hundred years. However, Tokugawa, one of Japan’s greatest warlords, came into power and reunited the country. After his victory, he followed tradition and decided to leave the emperor in charge, but deemed himself shogun. During this period, the emperor was merely a façade for the people, and the shoguns were the ones who held all the power. Tokugawa created his own dynasty in which Edo was the
...high power status, Japan had to have a self-reliant industrial common ground and be able to move all human and material resources (S,195). Through the Shogun Revolution of 1868, the abolition of Feudalism in 1871, the activation of the national army in 1873, and the assembly of parliament in 1889, the political system of Japan became westernized (Q,3). Local Labor and commercial assistance from the United States and Europe allowed Japan’s industry to bloom into a developed, modern, industrial nation (Q,3). As a consequence production surplus, and food shortage followed (Q,3). Because of how much it relied on aid of western powers, Japan’s strategic position became especially weak. In an attempt to break off slightly from the aid of the west Japanese leaders believed that it would be essential for Japan to expand beyond its borders to obtain necessary raw materials.
Japan, an island country is a series of Eastern Asia island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula. It is slightly smaller than the state of California. With a population estimated at 127 (July 2004), Japan is three times more densely populated than Europe as a whole and twelve times more densely populated than the United States. 2 While retaining its time-honored culture, Japan rapidly absorbed Western technology during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power and a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats...
Our preliminary class gave a brief, yet detailed outline of major events affecting the East Asian region. Within that class, prompted by our limited geographical knowledge of Asia, we were given a fundamental explanation of the geographical locations of the various events taking place in the region. In subsequent classes, we were introduced to the major wars, political shifts, and economic interests which shaped Japan, China and Korea to what they are today. We examined the paradigm of pre-modern Japanese governance, the Shogunate, and the trained warriors which defended lord and land, Samurai. In addition, we examined the socio-economic classes of Medieval Japan, which included the Samurai, peasants, craftsmen, and the merchants. We also examined pre-1945 Japan’s policies toward foreign entities, notably the Sakoku Policy, which sought to expunge all foreign presence and commerce in an effort to protect its borders and culture. 1945, however, saw ...
Vogel, S. K. (2006). Japan remodeled :How government and industry are reforming japanese capitalism. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.