Western Imperialism In Japan

When the emperor took the throne in 1868, he made it clear that Japan would abolish feudalism and modernise into an industrial society. This period in which Japan borrowed ideas from the West and reformed in such a short time is called the ‘Meiji Restoration’. Japan for some time was considered too remote and poor to be subjected to Western Imperialism. However Emperor Meiji and his advisors made it clear that they were determined to adapt selected features of Western civilisation to become a powerful nation, while still keeping Japans individuality. The new aspects of society included social, political, economic, military and educational changes.

One of the first symbols for great change was the Railway that was built in 1872 and ran between
Initially the government was run by a few leading daimyos. Ito, who was a young samurai reformist leader visited Germany and was impressed by the aspects of its form of government, as it was aimed at unification and was seen as a good model. So, in 1889 a constitution was made in which it was based on the Prussian model, which allowed the emperor and his advisors the ultimate power. The bi-cameral parliament included a house of representatives, a house of peers, an army and a navy. In the 1880s, extensive restructuring of the army and navy took place, based around the German and British models. This “copying” served to bring Japan up to speed with the rest of the world as rapidly as it did, and helped them become powerful, while still retaining their sense of Japanese nationalism. While political and military reforms (and Westernisation) were thorough reforms, they maintained and boosted Japanese nationalism and
In 1872 it was decided that western dress should be worn for all court and official ceremonies. Later the morning coat became standard dress on all formal occasions. Instead of a traditional samurai top knot, in 1870 western style haircuts were ‘all the rage’ in Japan. A popular song of the period quoted “If you slap a barbered head, it sounds back civilisation and enlightenment”. Things like black rolled umbrellas, gold watches, fitted tables and chairs, western calendars and telegraphs were all introduced during this ‘enlightened’ period. Changes also happened for eating patterns in Japan. A quote from a school child; “If we hadn’t opened the country up, we’d still just be eating rice all the time”. Food like meat, bananas, beer, bread and other dairy products were all introduced and encouraged to enjoy by the emperor who frequently ate large meals at banquets of foreign