Transcript Slide 1

Japan
Chapter 5
What Factors
Influenced Change
in Meiji Japan?
Russian Influence
• They started trading along the Pacific Coast and
established the Russian-American Company.
• The czar gave the company permission to trade
with the Ainu.
• Russia stopped trading when they became
involved with wars in Europe.
• Japanese realized that the Bakufu were too
concerned with internal affairs and should
prepare for trouble that might come from the
outside world.
Japan’s Response
• Captured a commander and pushed Russians
off the northern Islands
European Influence
• Dutch East India Company had all their ships
fly Dutch flags and hide any bibles and
weapons.
• Japanese high level official believed they
should start learning about the west and had
books brought in.
• They learned about history, the sciences
and institutions.
• Thought Europe was a superpower because
they all dressed the same unlike Asian
countries.
Japan’s Response
• Closed the doors tighter, and asked for
documentation from ships that would dock.
Chinese Influence
• China was forced to sign a treaty
that gave control of their ports to
Britain.
Japan’s Response
• Since they saw China as a powerful
nation, they realized the strength of
the British Navy.
• Abandoned some edicts that might
cause Western countries, like
Britain, want to invade Japan if they
don’t start negotiating.
United States Influence
• Commodore Matthew Perry negotiated;
• Get supplies and coal from Japan
• To protect sailors and American ships that
might need help
• To enter into an official trade agreement
• Townsend Harris negotiated
• Opened five ports for the Americans
• Allowed Americans to live in Edo and
Osaka
• Supplied Japan with ships, arms, and
technicians
United States Influence
Con’t
Japan’s Response
• Intellectuals in the larger domains found
the treaties favorable
• Others felt that they were unequal treaties
• Japan was pressured to sign treaties with
Russia, Britain, France and the
Netherlands. (also considered unequal)
• Japan leaders felt they must compete
with the West to meet foreign challenges
and protect Japan’s Sovereignty
Who/What was…
The Ainu:
Dutch East India Company
Commodore Perry
How did Japan respond to the
crisis?
Different Points of View: caused a lot of
internal conflict
One group believed:
• Only a matter of time before Japan was forced
to trade with Western nations
• Japan would not be able to remain isolated
• Japan did not want to be colonized or over
thrown by another country
• Japan needed Western technologies to
remain powerful and independent
Another group believed:
• Japan should remain isolated and
declare war on Western countries
• All foreigners should be killed
• “barbarians” would expose the
common Japanese (peasants,
merchants, artisans) to a different
way of life, thus, undermining their
social structure/class system
Civil Unrest
Cause
• Bad weather caused poor
crops
• Japanese began questioning
taxes they were forced to pay
• Japanese blamed the
government for the unrest
because they could not
overcome their difficulties
• Citizens were asking
questions about all the
changes government was
making
• Samurai began to support the
emperor/stronger loyalty to
him
• Samurai were upset with the
Harris Treaty
Effect
• Farmers and peasants
were starving
• Support for the Bakafu
weakened
• Support for the Bakafu
weakened
• Support for the Bakafu
weakened
• Support for the Bakafu
weakened
• Support for the Bakafu
weakened
•Samurai were
especially strong in
Choshu, Satsuma,
Tosa, and Saga –
these domains never
really supported the
shogun.
Leaders of the above domains:
• secretly traveled to England
• did not actually fear the presence of the foreigners
• used the issue of foreign influence to create dislike for
the Bakufu
Critiques of the shogun:
• wanted to create a new government
headed by the emperor
• increased military armaments
purchased weapons
and ships from the
West
 women broke tradition
and began fighting
against shogun troops

In 1867…
• Samurai from Tosa convinced the shogun to
resign and take a leading role in the new
government
• military forces from Satsuma and Choshu
intervened
• Meiji was the new emperor
• Tokugawa shogun surrendered their ancestral
lands to the Meiji
• Shogun responded with military attack
• Military forces were defeated in 1869
• Emperor moved to Edo and renamed the capital
Tokyo
The Modernization of
Japan
• Meiji period:
1868 to 1912
• Led the
restoration of
imperial rule
Origin of the Emperors of Japan
How did the political
system change?
• Political leaders used the creation
story to their advantage (pg 180)
• They declared the emperor sacred
and inviolable
• Tried to appeal to the Japanese
traditionalists
• Tried to build loyalty to government
• Used the young emperor as a symbol
of unity
The Charter Oath
• Wanted the samurai to know that they
are this new government was not the
same as the old Bakufu
• Future policies would be based on a
consensus
• Made many drafts
• Final form satisfied all the points of
views expressed by all who worked
on it
• Showed change in all three elements
of worldview: political and economic
systems, social systems and culture
• Unity of Rites and Rules
Pg 182
How did Japan reshape
its worldview and begin
to modernize?
• New Leadership
• Emperor – official head of the government,
but did not directly rule
• An oligarchy was formed
• Promoted economic growth and
industrialization
• Samurai were the leaders – average age
of 30 – military skills, studied in the west
• Two goals:
(1) to modernize Japan and make the
economy grow
(2) to renegotiate the unequal treaties
• Wanted to be competitive in the
modern world, yet continue to be
Japanese
• The samurai looked to Europe and
North America for models or a modern
system
• Japan’s worldview changed
drastically! Foreigner use to be
despised, but now they were
welcomed.
The Iwakura Mission
• 50 officials and 50
students sent on a 22month world trip of 12
countries
• Purpose: find the best
ideas and bring them back
to Japan

Iwakura Tomomi led the mission
Ideas that were gathered
from the West
• Ways to modernize Japan
• To develop a nation competitive in
the modern world
• Education
• A form of participatory government
• Capitalism
• Religious freedom
• Maintain national sovereignty