Until the mid to late 1800s Japan had a strict isolation policy. Other than extremely limited trade with China, and even more limited trade with the Dutch, Japan had developed completely independent of any outside influence. In the later half of the 19th century many countries expressed a reemerging desire to gain the benefits from trade with the island nation. This got me wondering, was this modernization good for Japan?
I read on the United States Office of the Historian’s web site that in July of 1853 four ships lead by American Commodore Matthew Perry entered Tokyo Bay to negotiate a trade agreement with the outside world for the first time in 200 years — although negotiate is a strong word. Perry used the threat of America’s superior firepower to convince the Japanese officials to accept. This quickly brought Japan into the modern era but had some unintended consequences. On the University of Colorado Boulder website I read that the treaty posed unfair terms such as all tariff rates being set by foreign powers, ports being forced to be open to foreign merchants, and foreigners convicted of crimes in Japan were judged in courts in their home country. This made the Japanese people see the current regime, The Tokugawa Shogunate, as weak. This plus an upset in the class system caused the Shogunate to be removed. In 1868 a new system of government was instated. The class system was removed, women given more rights, and other fixtures of a modern government were instated. I read in James L. McClain’s book, Japan, A Modern History, that the Japanese population was mainly split into two main ways of thinking. The first was that the they should accept the new and it was in the best interest for them to try and fit in with the western nations. But there were concerns that the Japanese culture would be lost in transition. Some parts of their culture had to be sacrificed in order to move into the modern era. The samurai class had to be abolished with the adoption of the new western system of government. Many, especially the samurai, didn’t think the change was worth it. I don’t know if the sacrifice of parts of their culture was worth the benefits or if it a moot point. You can hardly expect to not get any pushback when completely changing a system of government that had been in power for hundreds of years. I read on the Columbia University website that in 1877 the final push from the samurai came with the Satsuma rebellion. The newly drafted army was able to easily defeat the rebels with western firearms and tactics; but blood was shed over this issue. Was the social unrest even to the extent of rebellion worth the advances that it brought about? It is undisputed that America forced Japan’s hand with the trade agreement and that it came at the worst time for Japan. Japan could not have stayed isolated forever; but whether how the modernization of Japan was accomplished was the best is up to your judgment. So do your own research and come to your own conclusion. Sources: University of Coloado Boulder United States Office of the Historian Japan: A Modern History by James L. McClain Columbia University
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