---
id: kb-2026-00362
title: Meiji Restoration
schema_type: TechArticle
category: history
language: en
confidence: medium
last_verified: "2026-05-28"
created_date: "2026-05-22"
generation_method: ai_structured
ai_models:
  - claude-opus
derived_from_human_seed: true
conflict_of_interest: none_declared
is_live_document: false
data_period: static
atomic_facts:
  - id: fact-meiji-1
    statement: >-
      The Meiji Restoration of 1868 ended the Tokugawa shogunate and restored political authority around the
      emperor.
    source_title: Meiji Restoration
    source_url: https://www.britannica.com/event/Meiji-Restoration
    confidence: medium
  - id: fact-meiji-2
    statement: Britannica describes the opening of Japan in the 1850s as a major pressure on the late Tokugawa order.
    source_title: "Japan: The opening of Japan"
    source_url: https://www.britannica.com/place/Japan/The-opening-of-Japan
    confidence: medium
  - id: fact-meiji-3
    statement: The Constitution of the Empire of Japan was promulgated in 1889 during the Meiji period.
    source_title: The Constitution of the Empire of Japan
    source_url: https://www.ndl.go.jp/constitution/e/etc/c02.html
    confidence: medium
completeness: 0.84
known_gaps:
  - This compact repair does not cover every Meiji social, military, and industrial reform.
disputed_statements: []
primary_sources:
  - title: Meiji Restoration
    type: reference
    year: 2026
    url: https://www.britannica.com/event/Meiji-Restoration
    institution: Encyclopaedia Britannica
  - title: "Japan: The opening of Japan"
    type: reference
    year: 2026
    url: https://www.britannica.com/place/Japan/The-opening-of-Japan
    institution: Encyclopaedia Britannica
  - title: The Constitution of the Empire of Japan
    type: primary_document
    year: 1889
    url: https://www.ndl.go.jp/constitution/e/etc/c02.html
    institution: National Diet Library
secondary_sources: []
updated: "2026-05-28"
---

## TL;DR

The Meiji Restoration transformed Japan's political order and accelerated state-led modernization. This repair removes fabricated 2025 DOI metadata and ties the claims to Britannica and the National Diet Library.

## Core Explanation

The selected evidence covers the 1868 restoration, the external pressure created by the opening of Japan, and the 1889 Meiji Constitution. Broader claims about industrialization, wars, and slogans need separate source-backed facts before returning to the public claim set.

## Further Reading

- [Britannica: Meiji Restoration](https://www.britannica.com/event/Meiji-Restoration)
- [Britannica: The opening of Japan](https://www.britannica.com/place/Japan/The-opening-of-Japan)
- [National Diet Library: Constitution of the Empire of Japan](https://www.ndl.go.jp/constitution/e/etc/c02.html)