From Meiji to Now: The Making of Modern Japan

The significance of the Meiji Restoration, an important political period in Japanese history credited for ushering in an era of major political and social change continues to be debated extensively, more than a century and half on. As the third-largest economy in the world, Japan today is assuming an increasingly assertive role on the global stage and continues to undergo rapid changes, as it did during the Meiji era. This program will focus on the transformations in politics, society, and culture Japan experienced during the Meiji era and their relevance to the contemporary era; examine the parallels and continuity between the two periods of transformation; and explore their implications for the region as well as the wider world.