To what extent can we describe Meiji modernization as a Westernization?

Subject: Meiji Japan 18

To what extent can we describe Meiji modernization as a Westernization?

Meiji modernization is a combined process. It combined the old with the West, the traditional values of the Japanese with the technology of the West. In short, westenization is a part, and only one part of the whole process of modernization.

Westernization is taken in the following fields. Firstly, we can find westernization in the Charter Oath of 1868. The desire of the Japanese to borrow from the West so to strengthen the country could be clearly seen in the Charter Oath. There is the sentence in the Oath – ‘knowledge shall be sought for all over the world’ and thus shall be strengthened the foundation of the imperial policy. This statement was to be the basic philosophy of the whole movement. Japan was to be modernized and strengthened through the use of western knowledge. It was a surprisingly frank disavowal of the sentiment to xpel the barbarians’.

The most conspicuous case of the Westernization was in the field of technology for a backward country like Japan, technological progress must be based upon imitation. Thus, after the Restoration, foreign technicians and experts were employed by the Meiji government as railway and marine engineers, as agricultural experts as military and naval instruction. At the same time, Japanese were sent abroad to London, Berlin, Paris, New York and Manchester to learn from the West. Because the Meiji leaders whole-heartedly accepted the fact about western technological superiority and believe gap between their country and the West, modernization in this field and only this field, was a true and thorough westernization.

The Japanese also copied from the West in other field. For example, universal military started by Yamagata in 1873. This was to increase the military strength of Japan. This was a change from past in which soldiers were samurai only. Furthermore, a national system of education and universal primary education was carried out in the Education Act of 1872. This was to increase the literary of the Japanese. This would strengthen Japan.

Besides, a constitution was made in 1889. It was based on the German model which provided a Diet with 2 Houses: the House of Representatives and the House ...

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Besides, a constitution was made in 1889. It was based on the German model which provided a Diet with 2 Houses: the House of Representatives and the House of Peers. The Constitution was to guide the working of the government.

Yet in each of the above areas, it is doubtful whether imitation of the West is a true Westernization. This can be shown in the following evidences.

Military, although the soldiers had western equipment and military training (army based on Prussian model and navy based on British model), they were often reminded of the importance of the traditional samurai spirit (Bushido) and particularly, of unconditional loyalty to the Emperor. By this, it is not different from the past. The soldiers were just the samurai in the past. They just differed in name and appearance.

In modernizing the educational system, only the ‘form’ was borrowed from the West. Thus the ultimate aim of the educational reforms was not to introduce these Western concepts of ‘individualism’ and ‘freedom of thought’ but rather to seek conformity and reinforce Japanese traditional values and virtues such as loyalty and patriotism. Thus only technical and practical training was based on Western lines but not moral training. Through indoctrination in traditional values, the Japanese would become a nation of patriots.

Although there was the constitution of 1889 which framed by Ito, there was not a guarantee that democracy was promised in Japan. Though it was patterned after the West the introduction of the Diet (National Assembly) was something novel to the Japanese, the Constitution was only democratic superficially and saw really a continuation of the old political system and aristocracy.

The cabinet was responsible to the Emperor rather than to the Diet: the Upper House had the same power as the Lower House and the Lower House had no control over the purse string of the nation. Thus the Japanese Constitution was merely a document embodying the Japanese political principles under the cloak of representative institutions.

Thus it is obvious that in many aspects of modernization. Westernization reforms had a traditional and conservative undertone because the Meiji leaders, after selecting and adopting certain western cases, re-interpreted them in the light of traditional Japanese values. Meiji modernization is therefore, in a sense, a ‘selective’ modernization. It also shows that tradition is not necessarily an obstacle to modernization because in many aspects Meiji modernization is merely the adoption of traditional institution to the new functions.

Especially, after the earlier years when there was a cult western things, modernization became a more ‘selective’ process. This can be seen in the following. There was a growing intellectual resentment against blind and unreserved adoption of Western methods. They thought that western methods were not all right and good. Japan had to select some western methods that suited Japan and could help Japan become strong and to obtain status.

Although Japan had try to modernize herself along western lines, the Westerners still refused to grant Japan better status. This led to a revival of anti-foreign sentiments. Hence, it is clear that Japan’s real aim in westernization was only to obtain equal status with the West. When this failed, the Japanese could not bear.

The trend of selective westernization was also accounted for by the fact that Japan discovered that western culture was not homogeneous especially as the Western nations quarrelled among themselves over their rival interests. As a result, Japan tried to be selective among the Western nations.

Some people would go so far to say that the Meiji modernization is a sort of ‘Japanization’ rather than a ‘westernization’. Anyway, Westernization is undoubtedly part of the whole process but, to stress again, it is only a part.

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