Historical Dictionary of United States-Japan ... - Bakumatsu Films

MEIJI ERA • 179
creasing suffrage for adult males; and provided limited rights to all
Japanese. The Army and Navy, however, were subjected only to the
authority of the emperor, not to the parliament or the cabinet. This
would eventually lead to military domination of government affairs
by the 1930s. The Meiji Constitution was replaced in 1947 by a new
constitution primarily drafted by American Occupation authorities.
See also ITO, HIROBUMI; JAPANESE CONSTITUTION; MEIJI
EMPEROR; MEIJI ERA.
MEIJI EMPEROR (1852–1912; REIGNED 1867–1912). Son of Emperor
Komei, 15-year-old Mutsuhito ascended the throne upon his father’s
death in February 1867. The following year, Satsuma- and
Choshu-led forces overthrew the Tokugawa shogunate, claiming to
have “restored” the emperor to his role of supreme leader of Japan.
To mark this event, the era name changed to “Meiji,” meaning enlightened
rule, and the emperor became known as the Meiji Emperor
as well. Led primarily by government officials from the victorious
Satsuma and Choshu domains, the long reign of Emperor Meiji became
known for industrialization; modernization; wars with China,
Korea, and Russia; and the beginnings of Japanese imperialism. Emperor
Meiji did not personally rule Japan, but, by the mid-1870s, he
increasingly held substantial discussions with top Japanese government
officials and made decisions based on their advice. Among his
lengthiest discussions with foreigners were his meetings with
Ulysses S. Grant when the former American president and Civil
War general visited Japan in 1879. Emperor Meiji’s son, Yoshihito,
succeeded him as Emperor Taisho, and his grandson was Emperor
Hirohito. See also MEIJI ERA; MEIJI RESTORATION.
MEIJI ERA (1868–1912). Denoted by the reign of the Meiji Emperor,
this era is primarily known for industrialization, modernization, the
adoption of Westernization, and the beginnings of imperialism. Significant
events include the Iwakura Mission to the United States
and Europe from 1871 to 1873; the beginnings of Japanese immigration
to Hawaii and the United States; the promulgation of the
Meiji Constitution in 1889; the Sino–Japanese War of 1894–
1895; the Russo–Japanese War of 1904–1905; and the formal annexation
of Korea in 1910. The Meiji Era was preceded by the