Japan's Meiji Revolution: Restoration and Reform in a Global Context

This open access book is a readable and thought-provoking exploration of the significance of the Meiji Restoration within a global historical context of other modern revolutions. It argues that the events of Meiji were not a mere “restoration” of the emperor, but indeed a revolution, by situating this story in the context of nineteenth century Euro-American and East Asian revolutionary history. It also addresses why the death toll in Japan was so comparatively low despite this revolution, which resulted in the abolition of the ruling class. It simultaneously highlights the important flourishing of “public discussion and public debate” in Japan of the 1860s and 1870s. Where traditional interpretations of the early Meiji period have tended to focus almost exclusively on the series of radical reforms modeled on the contemporary West, this book, in contrast, stresses the threat from the local armies that had contributed to the establishment of the new government. The author also situates the Meiji Revolution within a broader context, unpacking how Japan utilised the rapidly growing Western technologies of globalisation, reorganised its international relationships with China and Korea, introduced the principle of sovereignty instead of the Sinocentric tribute system, and gave birth to the regional concept of ‘East Asia.’ Broadly relevant to East Asia historians, sociologists and political scientists, it is of interest to scholars of revolutions in the nineteenth century world, and to scholars of nineteenth century Japan in particular. It is an important work in global studies, de-centering the Western-centric narratives of East Asian history.