Japanese Culture Factors Influenced the Disclosure of Financial Information

The government than also led in the way of building railways and shipping lines, telegraphs and telephone systems, three shipyards, ten mines, fifty-three consumer industries. The Meiji Government opened their borders, allowing japan to improve their basic infrastructure, improving communication and to be able to travel from city to city easier. The markets were often based on main roads/path ways, rivers and special temples so that the local sellers are able to easily bring their items to the markets, according to (The Program for Teaching East Asia 2008). In doing this Japan was able to become more richer and Emperor Meiji was able to turn Japan into a modern world power as we see it

Japan is not only a major economic power, it is one of the most economically developed countries in the world. Japan’s economic development begun between the 12th and 17th century, in a period of time that the Japanese refer to as the Edo period. Although specific economic structures didn’t exist at the time, the conditions, both socially and politically, set the Japanese up for a later successful industrialization and modernization. During the Edo period, the ruling government was known as the bakufu. The bakufu had absolute political power over smaller, local governments, however, they lacked a consistent economic stance. Therefore, the local governments, known as the han, were allowed to decide how their people would be taxed, and how administration would work, along with education, industrialization, and issuing paper currency as long as it was not directly prohibited by the bakufu.

Between the years 1867 and 1912 in Japan, the Emperor Meiji was in command of the Japanese empire. Meiji was a revolutionary emperor that succeeded on the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate (the last Japanese feudal military government). Meiji’s command dramatically transformed Japan from being a feudal country into one of the greatest powers of the modern world. He changed Japan by popularizing modernization, westernization and improving the education system of the country. Nationalism provided the new young innovative and contemporary conservative generation of japan motivation to grow in the areas concerned; and implemented ideals that encouraged the notions of the west (westernization), that being industrialism and a new educational system, bringing them into the modern day. This new outlook

Japan's more prominent passive consent to Western requests was brought about by these requests coming later than in China and by Japan having more information of the West. Japan's obtaining society, dynamic tip top and pluralistic political framework were given as the variables behind Japan's more productive modernization and industrialization. Despite the fact that Japan is viewed as having profited more from contact with the West than China, the last's current monetary ascent, overwhelming Japan's, difficulties this view. It stays to be seen whether it is too soon to completely survey the impacts of Western impact in East Asia since the nineteenth

Though once they opened their trading to the world, competition rose and many reforms took place. All the while these things were going on, the emperor realized that in order to succeed and rise to power Japan had to become modernized. One of the greatest advantages that Western countries

Important aspects of the Tokugawa period led to the development of Early Modern Japan. The Tokugawa Shogunate’s evolving economic and political structure became the foundation for the political economy of the rapid modernisation of Japan, which was to follow after.

The top to bottom Japanese revolution known as the Meiji Restoration occurred in 1868 and it completely changed the system of government of Japan, which had been under the strict control of the absolute rule of the Tokugawa Shoguns that kept Japan in a feudal state. The Tokugawa government also kept Japan, for the most part, isolated from the rest of the world believing that they had no need for Western ideas. All that changed under the fiction of the “restoration” of the imperial government under the control of the emperor, as the revolutionary leaders of the Meiji Restoration realized that if they did not modernize on a massive scale they would face an ever increasing foreign threat much like China was experiencing. Japan’s new

Their political and economic structures was patterned from that of the west. During the late Meiji Period, Japan's policy making and empire building was deeply in

But in the 19th century, Japan recognized its isolationist policies’ inadequacy and the new international power shift when Europe and the United States forced it to sign the Kanagawa and Yedo treaties limiting its control on its own foreign trade and demanding it open to outside trade . In 1798 already, Honda Toshiaki criticized the Tokugawa, demanding an “enlightened government” , prophesying clearly Japanese success if it adopted Western reforms “to learn the effective use of gunpowder, to develop metallurgy, to increase trade, and to colonize.” The Tokugawa collapse led to the 1868 Meiji Restoration, reinstalling the emperor, and reforming Japanese political and social structure mirroring western powers’. Directing the innovations and not afraid to challenge the social order thanks to its cultural, ethnic, and national homogeneity, Japan’s government proved successful in its endeavor, instating a centralized, practical government and a constitution with an elected parliament, the Diet. The Meiji Restoration was a political revolution, developing nationalism of “the descendants of the loyal and good subjects of Our Imperial Ancestors” centered on the “sacred and inviolable” Emperor presented as a symbol of Japanese culture and continuity. To increase the national budget and built up the country’s strength, the government started a more effective tax system. Liberal ideas brought political and financial security, allowing new industries and technologies investment. Its economy developed strong transportation and communication; its population grew highly educated and Japan built a “powerful army and navy.” Its Constitution guaranteed liberal principles of property rights (article 27), freedom of religion (article 28), and freedom of speech (article 29). Having fought and won against China and later Russia, Japan reclaimed

Japan also put in place an elected parliament, or “Diet”, and put lots of money into acquiring western technologies like the telegraph and rail roads. A modern tax system was also put in place to pay for these projects; taxes were paid with money rather than rice. All of these actions set up an environment that encouraged great economic growth. Because of the social drive to modernize, the Japanese people, in general, were more than willing to adopt these new technologies, and therefore strive for a better

Improvements During the Meiji Restoration The abolishment of feudalism made immense social and political changes in Japan. Japanese citizens were able to choose their occupation and were allowed to move without restriction. By implementing a new environment of political and financial security, the government made investments in advanced industries and technologies. The Japanese government built railway and shipping lines, telegraph and telephone systems, and industries making sugar, glass, textiles, cements, chemicals, and other products.

The Meiji period, from 1868 to 1912, was the political revolution that brought about the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate and returned control of the country to direct imperial rule under the emperor Meiji. This began an era of major political, economic, and social change which ultimately led to the modernisation and westernisation of Japan. But was Japan successful in modernising? It was somewhat successful, Japan managed to rapidly modernise in approximately forty years whilst most Western countries took around a hundred and fifty years to modernise. But why did Japan modernise to begin with?

Throughout the Meiji Restoration, Japan’s economy rapidly developed into a modernised nation. The government had invested into new industries and technologies to compete with western nations. The government invested into altering many districts of Japan including: agriculture, industry, trade, banking, and taxation. Some of the improvements admitted new railroads to join all four major islands, shipping lines, telegraph and telephone systems, and deep water harbors to allow bigger ships. Fifty three consumer manufactures were as follows munitions, gunpowder, silk and textile, glass, chemical plants, iron smelters, and spinning mills. In the Edo period, taxes were compensated in crops such as rice, however now taxes are paid with money. A 3% land tax imposed on the farmers caused many riots, soon to be reduced to 2.5% land tax. Trade was an economical system that adjusted throughout modernization development. The government wanted the people to buy domestic goods rather than foreign products. To make sure this occurred they enforced an import fee on all foreign merchandise. The government made an attitude adjust to

Was the strategy that was changed to industry thought out for the nation’s economy? Why were the open system and the various policies for their investment and finance found under any ‘great cause’? Furthermore, how did Yokoi’s alternative policy thought, which varied between ‘belief’ and ‘an increase in profits’, develop ‘the opening up of Japan’ from’ the public way of the world’, acknowledging the reciprocal interests of

The US became economically prosperous due to laissez faire, while Japan came to economic-growth race later. It followed the policy of imitating foreign technologies and protecting domestic industries from imports and developing tremendous expertise in manufacturing and electronics.