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  • The Perception of Western Ideas in Japanese Society during the Meiji Period on the Example of the First Japanese Constitution

The Perception of Western Ideas in Japanese Society during the Meiji Period on the Example of the First Japanese Constitution

Student: Kashtanova Arina

Supervisor: Stepan Rodin

Faculty: Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs

Educational Programme: Asian Studies (Bachelor)

Year of Graduation: 2020

This article deals with the issue of Western influence on the development of the political component of the period in the history of Japan under the name Meiji Restoration, in particular, using the Constitution of the Empire of Japan as an example. This document, carefully prepared by Japanese and foreign politicians and legal experts, was adopted in accordance with Western standards of that time, officially setting down a new era in the country with the revival of imperial power. The purpose of the study is to identify key features in the perception of Western ideas by Japanese society during the Meiji period by the example of the Constitution of the Empire of Japan. For this, the article deals with the preconditions for the adoption of the Constitution and the conditions in which it was drafted. Much attention is given to identifying the unique features of the Constitution of 1889, as a traditionally Western document. Based on a comparative analysis, the paper compares the constitutional monarchies of the West that existed at that time with the constitutional monarchy that was creating in Japan. The chosen approach allows not only to consider the innovations that have come to the country from the West and borrowing ideas, but also how traditional values that are unique for Japan appeared in the Constitution. A study of this area can serve as an addition to the current political situation in Japan, where discussions are actively being held on amending the 1947 Constitution, which was designed by American forces as a historical reference to the significance of the Constitution and Western influence in Japan.

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