Treaty of Kanagawa(1854)

Emperor Meiji (1868-1912)

Meiji Restoration – “Enlightened Rule” (1868-1912)

Highly centralized government

Constitution establishing an elected parliament

Well-developed transportation and communication system Highly educated population free of feudal class restrictions

Established a rapidly growing industrial sector

Powerful army and navy Incorporated the best from the West

Accepted Western way of life unlike Africa, India, and China who resisted it

Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895)Shift in regional dominance from China to Japan

Japan gains Korea, Taiwan, and Liaodong Peninsula

Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)Japan becomes a world power

1st time European power is defeated by a non-European power

Dislike for Tsar growing in Russia