The Meiji Period of Japan

 Knowledge shall be sought throughout the world so as to strengthen the foundations of imperial rule.

—1868 Meiji Pledge 

With Emperor Meiji’s ascension to the throne in 1867, Japan theoretically restored power to the emperor after centuries of rule by the Shogun, but because he was only 15 years old he had little governing power. Instead, the power rested with the new government consisting of a small, close-knit cabinet of advisers. This new cabinet immediately began implementing a series of reforms to both strengthen and unify Japan. One of their largest concerns was that Japan would not be able to stay independent if it did not modernize. The 1853 surprise visit by the United States Navy, headed by  Commodore Perry, made the stunning superiority in Western weapons and transportation clear to everyone. The question was, what should Japan do about it? 

The goals of the early leaders of the Meiji era were ambitious, as they established new economic, political, and social institutions that governed Japan until 1945. The majority of these reforms were greatly influenced by the West, but they never deviated significantly from Japan’s cultural and historical roots. Perhaps most dramatically, it abolished the old system of a social hierarchy based on inherited status. For example, samurai, who historically were recognized as a warrior class, could now be farmers and engage in trade and commerce, and townspeople could now join Japan’s new army.

Many early Meiji reformers believed such reforms were necessary for achieving diplomatic equality and military strength. The motto of the era was “Enrich the Country and Strengthen the Military” and at the helm of this effort was Emperor Meiji. He wore Western-style military clothing, styled his hair in a Western manner, and grew a kaiser mustache. The pervasive philosophy of “Civilization and Enlightenment” impacted social policy throughout Japan and aspired to “correct” Japanese culture and to cultivate the idea of “civilizing” the nation. For example, officials outlawed mixed bathing and excessive exposure of flesh in public. Missions were sent to learn from the West and foreign advisers were hired. The result was that Japan borrowed the best models that the industrialized countries of the world had to offer and quickly put them in place at home. Japanese on these study missions studied in detail the German army, the British navy, the French legal system (Napoleonic Code) and US public schools and made sure to hire advisors from those countries as they built a modern society from scratch. 

Government officials also consolidated power among an elite band of oligarchs. They formed a close circle around the emperor and advised him on everything. Over the next four decades, the emperor and his oligarchs made education compulsory and invested in everything from banks to railroads to modern printing presses that increased newspaper circulation. The military adopted Western-style weapons and uniforms and took steps toward new models of military education. 

One famous member of a study mission to the West was the statesman Ito Hirobumi. He documented everything, from currency systems to education and technology. Ito observed the role that the constitutions of various nations played in guiding the conduct and institutions of the nations he visited. After studying the Prussian and Austrian constitutions, Ito, Japanese leaders, and Western scholars began drafting the Meiji Constitution in 1881. Eight years later it was promulgated.

Excerpts of the preamble and several articles of the constitution highlighting these changes in Japan are included below:

Preamble

Having, by virtue of the glories of Our Ancestors, ascended the Throne of a lineal succession unbroken for ages eternal; desiring to promote the welfare of, and to give development to the moral and intellectual faculties of Our beloved subjects... and hoping to maintain the prosperity of the State, in concert with Our people and with their support, We hereby promulgate... a fundamental law of State, to exhibit the principles, by which We are to be guided in Our conduct, and to point out to what Our descendants and Our subjects and their descendants are forever to conform.

The rights of sovereignty of the State, We have inherited from Our Ancestors, and We shall bequeath them to Our descendants. . . .

Chapter 1: Emperor (excerpted)

Article I. The Empire of Japan shall be reigned over and governed by a line of Emperors unbroken for ages eternal.

Article III. The Emperor is sacred and inviolable.

Article IV. The Emperor is the head of the Empire. . . .

Article XI. The Emperor has the supreme command of the Army and Navy.

Article XIII. The Emperor declares war, makes peace, and concludes treaties.


Chapter 2: Rights and duties of Subject
(excerpted)

Article XX. Japanese subjects are amenable to service in the Army and Navy, according to the provisions of law.

Article XXIII. No Japanese subject shall be arrested, detained, tried or punished, unless according to law.

Article XXIX. Japanese subjects shall, within the limits of law, enjoy the liberty of speech, writing, publication, public meetings and associations.


Chapter 3: The Imperial diet (excerpted)

Article XXXIII. The Imperial Diet shall consist of two Houses, a House of Peers and a House of Representatives.

Article XXXIV. The House of Peers shall, in accordance with the Ordinance concerning the House of Peers, be composed of the members of the Imperial Family, of the orders of nobility,
and of those persons who have been nominated thereto by the Emperor.

Article XXXV. The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members elected by the people, according to the provision of the Law of Election.

The Japanese Royal Family


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Section 2: Taming the Nobles

  One of Louis XIV’s first priorities upon taking full power as king was to take back all the powers his mother and Mazarin had given to the Parlements (see Section 1). In 1667, Parlements lost their power to approve royal decrees or even to remonstrate. Instead, they became part of an empty ceremony–the king would arrive, accompanied by a massive show of military force, and register his decrees at the Paris Parlement without even a peep of dissent. As a reward, Parlement leaders were paid massive bribes. He kept them around mostly as useful scapegoats–it was the Parlements, not the king, who would formally demand higher taxes and thus get blamed by the people. Through force and bribery, the king ruthlessly and systematically reduced the influence of the nobility and any other obstacle to his absolute power.  Louis XIV’s efforts to centralize power in France were greatly aided by the fact that nobles were highly unpopular. Western Europe was dominated by powerful families of nobles wh
Read more

Section 1: Louis XIV’s (14th) Childhood

Louis XIV (14th) was born into a family described by one historian as “a nest of vipers.” His father, Louis XIII (13th), had to combat plots to overthrow him from his brother (Gaston, the Duke of Orleans, who was involved in at least 6 separate conspiracies against the king), his wife, and even his mother.   Louis XIV’s childhood was scarred by a civil war known as the Fronde . His father had begun to weaken the power of France’s top nobles and soon clashed with a legal body known as the Parlements . The Parlements were a dozen high courts that occasionally reviewed the government’s decisions and had the power to temporarily block them until the king himself arrived personally to explain it to them. This is known as “remonstrating” with the king. Each major region had its own Parlement, with its own set of laws dating back to medieval or even Roman times, making France a confusing legal mess.  The makeup of the Parlements is key, since it was a hereditary body filled with the sons of
Read more

Section 3: Versailles

The palace of Versailles personified Louis XIV’s vision of one absolute monarch dominating all of France. Nine miles outside of Paris, Versailles started as his father, Louis XIII ’s, hunting lodge. After his mother Queen Anne’s death, Louis XIV tired of Paris, with its sad memories of the Fronde (see Section 1) and of his beloved mother. He decided to expand Versailles into a semi-permanent court from which to rule France. Every detail of the palace was micromanaged by the king, who regularly visited the building site and demanded regular reports on progress. The palace featured a total of 1,840 rooms and some of the most famous architects, artists and gardeners in the world collaborated in its construction. Versailles was designed to be the most amazing place on Earth: “an art gallery; a year-round festival of music; a hunt and riding school… [being at Versailles] raised the status of musicians, writers and painters, and helped create new kinds of music, opera, ballets, and gardens
Read more