Early Meiji Japan1868-1912

13a

Meiji Restoration: Lead-up

• Choshu incident 1863– Choshu tries to sink

Western ships– Choshu marches against

Kyoto to capture Emperor but fails

• Tokugawa fails to punish Choshu

Meiji Restoration: Lead-up

Review: • 1864: Ships from England,

France, Holland and the US all attack the Choshu – Choshu leaders recognize futility

of resistance – for now

– Map out new response including modernization/Westernization

Young Choshu leaders visit London 1860s

Meiji Restoration1868Choshu and Satsuma

draw up alliance

Plot revolution

• Young Samurai decide to reform Japan

• March on Kyoto and seize new young Emperor Meiji

• Declare Restoration of the Emperor to his rightful place– Liberate the Emperor from Tokugawa’s rule

– Emperor to rule directly

Satsuma/Choshu Plotters

Meiji Restoration1868

• Declare Restoration of the Emperor to his rightful place– Liberate the Emperor from

Tokugawa’s rule

– Emperor to rule directly

• Emperor issues decree ending the rule of the Tokugawa Shoguns

Young Emperor Meiji

Meiji Restoration

• Tokugawa Shogunate counter attacks

• Satsuma/Choshu alliance wins

• Meiji Emperor assumes leadership with Satsuma and Choshu based committee of advisors– New Government made up of young Samurai with a

smattering of nobles

Meiji Restoration

Why Satsuma and Choshu?• Two richest Han

• Choshu: 100 + years of illegal, secret investment in commercial enterprises – They were secretly running a merchant trade

• Satsuma: Profitable sugar monopoly

• Both: Secretly and illegally traded with Western nations for technology and military equipment

Satsuma

Choshu

Meiji Leadership

• Collective leadership with the Emperor

• 20-30 young leaders– Mostly samurai– Mostly from Satsuma or Choshu– Includes some reformers among the royal

court

• Known as the Meiji Oligarchy

Imperial Role??

• Note: Emperor Meiji is still the heir to the Yamato clan dynasty– His ancestors had reigned from

@ 300 CE

– Since the beginning of the Kamakura period, Shoguns ruled while the emperor reigned

• Meiji Restoration: Still the Yamato heir is relevant. – Does he rule or reign?

Meiji Oligarchy:Ruling PlatformTo survive Japan must modernize…Become a Rich nation with a Strong Army:

Fukoku Kyohei• Japan must learn from the West• Japan must Adapt to a Western-dominated world

• By learning and adapting, Japan can become modern• By becoming modern they can become rich• By becoming rich they can build a strong army• With a strong army they can become truly independent

Fukoku Kyohei!

Meiji OligarchyRuling Platform

Iwakura Mission

• Japan sends diplomatic mission to Western nations• San Francisco across the US• London Continental Europe• Goals: • Build relationships: earn Western respect• Gain knowledge: patterns of business, science, and government

Meiji Restoration: Rapid Westernization / modernization

Japan launches wholesale Westernization drive

Wholesale rejection

of all things

Japanese

Even Japanese art takes on a strictly modern tone

Meiji Restoration: Rapid Westernization / modernization

Abolish Caste Structure

• Strip Daimyo of Han and special privilege

• Compensate Daimyo for lost land with cash

Abolish Samurai class and privileges

• Adopt conscript army of commoners

• Forbid wearing of swords

• Assign many former samurai as government officials

Meiji Art takes a

modern turn

Satsuma Rebellion – 1877:Reaction to too much modernization

Saigō Takamori: a Meiji Oligarch• Saw too much change• Feared Japan was losing its soul

• Angered by Korea’s refusal (1873) to recognize Emperor (they called him a king)

• Wanted war with Korea– (got unequal treaty with Korea, 1874)

• Oligarchy saw war with Korea as a distraction – would not attack

• Saigo stormed out

Satsuma Rebellion: 1877• Saigo leads failed attack against the too-modern

Meiji government• Tries to reinstitute special role of Samurai• Failed last throe of traditional Japan

Basis for “The Last Samurai”

movie with Tom Cruise

Meiji Program• Following the

Iwakura Mission– Japanese Business largely

borrows American and

British models

– Japanese Government patterns itself after Germany

• Sovereign monarch (Germany’s Kaiser)

• Weak legislative branch (Germany’s Diet)

• Constitution as a gift from the Emperor

• Powerful, professional, prestigious bureaucracy

Iwakura Mission departs from Japan, 1871

Meiji’s Economic Plan

Government supported rapid development

• Market-based economy• Former Daimyo stripped of land but paid

compensation– Daimyo fortunes become source of CAPITAL for new

manufacturing firms– Merchant fortunes also fund new manufacturing

• Government plays strong role in directing investment

Political/economic theory:

Alexander Gerschenkron:“Late Development State”

Late developing nations need strong government• Private business cannot compete with advanced

foreign competitors• Strong Government must coordinate and lead

development• Strong, development state necessary to succeed

A government strong enough to succeed in late development, generally is too strong for participatory democracy

Meiji Oligarchy:Successful Late Developing State

• Dramatic Economic take-off

• Motivated by feelings of insecurity

• Driven by need to achieve equality with West

• Spurred by desire to become powerful and thus independent

Fukoku Kyohei!!

Meiji Constitution

Prince Ito Hirobumi– Iwakura Mission

Meiji Constitution– a gift from the Emperor

• Imperial Sovereignty

• Transcendental cabinet– doesn’t answer to parliament

(Diet)

• Independent military– Answers only to the Emperor– Strong position in Cabinet

• Elite Bureaucracy– Well educated– Powerful, professional,

prestigious– Insulated from electoral

pressure

Bureaucracy in Japan

• Difficult Civil Service Exam

• Political appointments minimal

• Elite educational requirements– Tokyo National University, Dept. of Law

• Extraordinary policy-making authority– Patterned after Kaiser Wilhelm's Germany– Similar to France – elite education

Legislature in Meiji Constitution

• Diet– Two Houses– Commoners and Lords– Commons elected (but only 5% male suffrage)

– Little power except BUDGET• On budget, if impasse occurs, last year’s budget

automatically rolls over• This power surprisingly became the source of an

expanded legislative role

Cabinet in Meiji Constitution

• Transcendental– Doesn’t answer to Diet– Only to Emperor

• Special Military Ministers– In later periods military ministers had to be active duty

officers– Cabinet was incomplete without military ministers– Gave military extraordinary power to drive government