The Meiji Constitution
The ideology of the Meiji government quickly turned from "expelling the barbarians" and remaining isolated to creating a modern and "enlightened" nation. The leaders recognized that the most "civilized" and dominant nations of the time were imperialistic, and they worked in an attempt to replicate that facet of global power.The Constitution helped to cement Japan's status as a Western power and made great strides in modernizing the government as the Tokugawa and Satsumas realized to be successful they needed to embrace Western ideals.
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Tenor of the Effort
"The Meiji Constitution was a major landmark in the making of the modern Japanese state and in Japan’s drive to become one of the world’s advanced, “civilized” powers. Drafted by Itō Hirobumi, a group of other government leaders, and several Western legal scholars, the document was bestowed on the Japanese people by the Emperor Meiji and established Japan as a constitutional monarchy with a parliament... Itō and his associates drew heavily on Western models... in creating a constitution that reserved almost unrestricted power for the Emperor while still permitting the creation of democratic institutions."
-Marius B. Jansen, The Making of Modern Japan |
"The Meiji Constitution turned out to be a blend of both modern and feudal elements for a Japan that was still in transition. On the one hand, the divine authority of the Japanese Emperor is defined as "sacred and inviolable." On the other hand, the Diet, a parliamentary organ, is established to distribute power between the House of Peers and the House of Representatives. The Constitution also guarantees...rights to the Japanese people...It formally established Japan as a constitutional monarchy “reigned over and governed by a line of Emperors unbroken for ages eternal,” in which the reigning emperor was “sacred and inviolable.” At the same time, the new constitution established an elective “diet” or parliament that lay the ground for a more generally representative government."
- MIT Visualizing Cultures |
"Illustration of the Imperial Diet of Japan” by Gotÿ Yoshikage, 1890"
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"If you're speaking about political transformation, the introduction of a national parliament and promulgation of a modern constitution in 1889 should be considered a critical benchmark."
-Frederick Dickinson, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania |
"The promulgation of the Meiji Constitution was a realization of such Western ideals as "government by public discussion"; at the same time, it served to demonstrate to the Western powers that Japan was now a modern state."
- The Political Space of Meiji 22 (1889): The Promulgation of the Constitution and the Birth of the Nation by Hidemasa Kokaze |
Fukuoka Takachika, drafter
(Courtesy of National Diet Library) |
"The promulgation of a constitution [1889] and the convening of an elected Diet meant that Japan was a nation of subjects with both obligations to the state and political rights. Obligations included military service for men, school attendance for all, and the individual payment of taxes. . . The undeniable fact was that a constitutionally mandated, elected national assembly -- with more than advisory powers -- now existed." (Gordon)