Assess the success of the reforms attempted by the Meiji leaders between 1868 and 1914.

The reforms undertaken by Meiji leadership from 1868 to 1914 were highly successful in
modernising Japan into a political, economic, and military world power, however had little success in
enriching the lower classes, and instead further entrenched the role of authority in Japanese society.
This is demonstrated through the political reforms which introduced a Western-style Constitution,
but placed the Emperor at the centre of power. Likewise, the economic reforms allowed Japan to
transform into a Western-style industrialised economy, and the creation of a new Japanese Imperial
Army allowed Japan to challenge other powers in the region. Thus, Japan was able to modernise
quickly through a balance of Western-style reform and the old authoritarian power structure.

The most significant reform in Meiji Japan was the introduction of a Western style Constitution,
which copied some Western-style values, although retaining Japan’s previous rigid authority
structure. This system has been described as ‘quasi-oligarchic’ in the sense that power was
concentrated among the Emperor and his Genros (unofficial advisors). This is because, inspired by
the Charter Oath of 1868, the new Constitution gave the Emperor the title of the “supreme and
executive power” over the Japanese government, placing him above a Diet (parliament) of two
houses: an upper house of the nobility and a lower house of representatives. Nevertheless, some
concessions were made for those of lower classes. The new Constitution abolished the class system
as imagined in Point 2 of the Charter Oath: “All classes, high and low, shall unite […],” which
instituted a form of economic and social mobility for all Japanese citizens that contributed to the
mass migration into the cities and the industrialisation of Japan during this time. Some historians
have argued that the Japanese government only introduced these new rights to remove previous
‘extra-territoriality’ codes where those of British and French citizenship were able to defy Japanese
law. This is epitomised by the fact that the Emperor were still given supreme power over all of the
“Empire of Japan”, as stated in Article 1 of the Constitution. Thus, although the new Constitution of
Japan gave some new provisions to the lower classes, much of the power structure was kept the
same akin to Japan’s traditional system.

Likewise, Western-style industrialisation which allowed it to develop into an economic power,

although with a similar hierarchical structure. This process relied upon the abolition of the class
system and the introduction of Western technology for Japan’s bourgeoning industries. Here, the
Samurai were suited to managerial positions, possessing technical skills and literacy, whilst the
former peasants manned the new workplaces, and were very much exploited by the previous
Samurai. The Meiji government sponsored specific industries (such as copper, railway, and
shipbuilding) to become self-sufficient ventures, later selling them to influential families to form the
zaibatsu, a group of wealthy industrialist families. Fukoku kyōhei: “Enrich the Country, Strengthen the
Military” became Japan’s national slogan during the period as much of Japan’s industry supported
the newly created military industrial complex. Because of this, Japan was able to increase its output
by magnitudes of even hundreds, which had not been seen before this time. For example, the
number of merchant steamships in Japan increased from 26 in 1873 to 1,514 in 1913 from whilst the
length of train track in Japan increased from 29 km in 1872 to 11,400 in 1914 (as per the Japanese
Imperial Cabinet Bureau of Statistics). Still, this success was within the context of the mistreatment
of the former peasants, as exemplified by Hashima Island in which ~5,300 peasants lived in a 6.3-
hectare island to work the underwater coal mines. Though, in the use of Japan’s former peasant class
to man the industrialisation of Japan, Japan was able to prosper economically and become a global
power.
Like Japan’s reforms in government and industry, Japan’s military witnessed an effective Western
transformation that enabled it to rival European powerhouses, although following under the
previous system of the Emperor. Japan’s rapid militarism was first introduced out of necessity. As
Asian regions such as the Philippines, Indonesia, and Indochina were then all European colonies,
Meiji leadership were concerned that Japan would become colonised as well. Hence, in 1873 Japan
adopted a large Western style of military involving universal recruitment. It followed the models of
Prussian style-militarism, characterised by an ‘army state’, a technologically advanced French-style
land army, and a strong British-style navy. The Japanese Imperial Army’s first test was in the Satsuma
rebellion where it was successful in defeating the highly trained Samurai rebels. However, it still
followed under the Japanese tradition of the Emperor who was given “supreme command of the
Army and Navy” as par Article 11 of the Constitution. As Japan’s economy developed from an
agrarian to an industrial based system, the country required more resources to feed its population
and supply its factories, leading to military expansion under Meiji leadership. In this context, Japan
was able to triumph against its Asian rival China in the Sino-Japanese war of 1894-1895, claiming
Taiwan and the Liaodong Peninsula. Moreover, Japan won against European power Russia in the
Russo-Japanese war of 1905 to claim Manchuria. In both these examples, the highly coordinated,
technologically sophisticated Japanese military prevailed against a disunited and less advanced force,
proving Japan’s military reforms to be a success its quick, Western-style transformation.

The reforms undertaken by the Meiji leadership in the period from 1868 to 1914 had a significant
impact on modernizing Japan into a political, economic, and military world power. The balance
between the tradition of the Emperor and a Western transformation allowed Japan to quickly
become a rising world power. However, these reforms had little success in enriching the lower classes
and instead further entrenched the role of authority in Japanese society.