## TL;DR

The Meiji Restoration (1868) ended Japan's 265-year Tokugawa shogunate, restored imperial rule, and launched rapid modernization. Japan transformed from an isolated feudal society to an industrialized world power in a single generation. Slogans: 'Enrich the country, strengthen the military.'

## Core Explanation

Key reforms: abolition of feudal domains (han) → prefectures, universal conscription, compulsory education, land tax reform, constitutional government (1889). Western technology adopted: railways, telegraph, factories, modern navy. Iwakura Mission (1871-73): studied Western institutions globally. Wars: Sino-Japanese (1894-95, gained Taiwan), Russo-Japanese (1904-05, first Asian power to defeat European power).

## Further Reading

- [The Making of Modern Japan (Marius Jansen)](https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674009912)