Meiji

Meiji (1852-1912), emperor of Japan (1867-1912), whose accession to the throne marked the beginning of a national revolution known as the Meiji restoration. After Japan was forced to open its ports to Western trade during the 1850s and '60s, many influential Japanese decided that the country needed both a stronger government and the West's superior technology if it was to avoid foreign domination. In 1868, soon after Prince Mutsuhito became emperor, taking the name Meiji (“enlightened rule”), these Westernizers toppled the Tokugawa shogunate, replacing it with a unified administration headed by the sovereign. Although the emperor in time became an influential force in the government, he functioned mainly as a symbol of national unity, leaving the actual business of governing to his ministers. During his reign, Japan became an industrial power able to compete with the nations of the West.