Meiji era

In Japanese history, the reign of Emperor Meiji, 1867–1912. The restoration of imperial rule followed the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate. The Meiji era saw the rise of Japan as a modern state, with the introduction of centralized government and a Western-style economy built around industrial growth.

On ascending the throne, the emperor Mutsuhito adopted the title Meiji, meaning ‘enlightened government’. The privy councillors he appointed instigated a programme of industrialization and reform. Within ten years, they had eradicated all remnants of feudalism in Japan, notably the social system of four hereditary classes that had existed under the shoguns. A formal written constitution was introduced in Japan in 1889.