Meiji Oligarchy and Industrialism of Japan

To create a country internally stable, strong enough to repel foreign ambition, and progressive enough to be seriously regarded by the international community, the oligarchy of the Meiji Era felt that they needed to make a break with the past and begin anew. They spent years studying successful nations and used the lessons learned to invent a system that not only moved Japan forward into the modern age, but also took into consideration the traditions and history that made Japan unique.

The overthrow of the Tokugawa Shogunate had restored the emperor to primacy in Japan. He now stood as the wellspring of political power and legitimacy. Although not a political decision maker, and perhaps because of this, the emperor stood as a unifying symbol, a common foundation for further changes by the oligarchy. The foremost concern of the new government was ridding the country of the remains of despotic shogunate rule and establishing a system that could adapt to the demands of a modern era and whose authority was recognized throughout the country. The oligarchs realized that only through a centralized authority would Japan remain and be recognized as sovereign and through stability would additional reforms be possible. Among their first steps were issuing the Charter Oath, and the Seitaisho which established the Dajokan as the principal policy making and administrative body. In a succession of moves, the oligarchy effectively stripped the daimyo of their status and independence by replacing the domain system with prefectures and later abolishing stipends. Control of the prefectures lay with the Dajokan, later reformed as the cabinet, eliminating the daimyo as a threat to political centralization and serving as the first step in breaking down the social class barriers. Further, by allowing daimyo to remain as governors in the prefectures, they were forced to not only recognize the Emperor's power to remove them from their long held positions but they owed their remaining power to him. Transferring the prefectures to central control also paved the way for tax reforms that would standardize the taxes and collection procedures. The oligarchy now had reliable revenue that it could leverage for public works projects as the country moved into industrialization.

The new government also sought to abolish the hierarchical social order in keeping with the West's demand to revise domestic laws. Removing the daimyo from land-ownership was the first step in revising the old class-based hierarchy. The government then reorganized the population into groups of nobles, former samurai, and commoners and, in 1884, reorganized again with the Peerage Act. Doing away with the class-based society was a double-edged sword. Many former samurai felt wronged by the loss of their status, their unique claim to surnames, and their swords. Although tax standardization was controversial, for the majority of the population, other changes were welcomed. Occupational and social mobility became possible and opened the doors of government and the military to commoners.