Meiji economic modernisation
Topic: Paths to Modernisation: Japan, China, Korea · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 7 "Paths to Modernisation"
Meaning
Meiji economic modernisation was the state-led drive that built industry in Japan after 1868. The government paid for it with an agricultural tax. It built railways, imported textile machinery, hired foreign technicians, set up modern banks from 1872 and paid subsidies to shipbuilders. Big family business groups called zaibatsu grew under state support. This growth backed the Meiji aim of fukoku kyohei, "rich country, strong army".
Example
Japan's first railway linked Tokyo and Yokohama and was built in 1870–72. Shipbuilding firms such as Mitsubishi and Sumitomo received subsidies. Japan's population rose from 35 million in 1872 to 55 million in 1920.
Don't confuse with
- Post-war "economic miracle": Meiji growth was state-led and served military strength. The post-1945 boom came in a demilitarised Japan and was helped by US support.
Related concepts
- Zaibatsu
- Tanaka Shozo
- Ashio mine pollution
- Meiji Constitution
- Fukuzawa Yukichi
- Popular Rights Movement