The Japanese Empire

On January 4, 1882, Emperor Meiji issued the so-called Imperial Rescript for the Army (Gunjin Chokuyu). The Rescript marked the beginning of a period of rapid change in which Japan became less of an isolated feudal state and more of an industrialized, militarily aggressive nation. The Meiji renovation imposed practical rules on the Japanese. The imposition of these rules led to the modernization and westernization of Japan. Meiji used his imperial authority to abolish feudalism and the samurai, and create a constitutional monarchy. He paved the way for the birth of the Japanese empire.