Change And Continuity In Japan

Japan Japan first became a unified country by the year 300 A.D., however Japan had many different forms of government before it became unified. For most of its history, Japan was feudal country, with a strong central government and multiple rural towns spread around the country. The exact form of the Japanese government has changed over the years. During the Heian period, which was between 794 and 1185 A.D., there were four major groups that held government power. These groups were the emperor and imperial family, Buddhist sects, the aristocracy and the small-town warriors. During this time the emperors had to gain political backing from powerful aristocratic families to be able to rule the country. The Heian period was considerably peaceful and was also secure from foreign aggression. …show more content…
This particular government isolated Japan from foreign influenced during its 260 years of ruling. It continued like this until the Meiji restoration in 1868. This change brought in the era of Meiji Monarchy. When Tokugawa Shogunate fell, the young emperor Meiji signed the Five Charter Oath. The Five Charter Oath was an outline of major reforms for the Japanese society. Meiji government abolished feudalism, which tied every Japanese citizen to the land they were born on. In the 1930s the military took control of the Japanese government. During this time all official government offices were filled by officers from the navy and army, this also included the prime minister. Political opponents were assassinated by the military and the military also had a strict control of information in the media and educational