How Did Japan Become A Superpower?
5/7/202647 min
In the 19th century, Japan's samurai era ended, and the country transformed from a secluded feudal society into a modern industrial superpower. From sweeping political reforms to rapid industrialisation, this is the story of how Japan reinvented itself in just decades and emerged as a formidable global power.
Joining us is Dr Chris Harding, a cultural historian of Japan and India from the University of Edinburgh.
Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Matthew Wilson.
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First 90 secondsDan Snow· Host0:00
Have you been enjoying my podcast and now want even more history? Sign up to HistoryHit and watch the world's best history documentaries on subjects like how William conquered England, what it was like to live in the Georgian era, and you can even hear the voice of Richard III. We've got hundreds of hours of original documentaries, plus new releases every week, and there's always something more to discover. Sign up to join us in historic locations around the world and explore the past. Just visit historyhit.com/subscribe. Hi, folks, welcome to the show. We're going back to 1868 and how Japan embarked on one of the most dramatic transformations in world history. After centuries of isolation under the Tokugawa shogunate, a group of young samurai, basically sort of reformist nobles, restored imperial rule, kind of, and launched the country into a bold new era, the Meiji Restoration. They were determined to avoid the fate of all the other colonized nations around the world, and these new Japanese leaders pursued rapid modernization. They reformed education, the tax system. They built railways, they built battleships and a national army. In just 50 years, Japan became an industrialized empire and a rising global power. They even defeated a major European empire. Joining us to unpack this really extraordinary story is the cultural historian Chris Harding. He is an expert in all things Japan, India, and East-West