Home / History / Africa, Asia & the Americas

The Meiji Restoration begins in Japan

1868

The shogunate ends and Japan modernizes quickly

Confirmed Asia · Verified 2026-11-01 · WWV-HS-GL-008

In 1868, power shifted from the Tokugawa shogunate to the emperor. Japan then modernized its government, army and industry within a few decades.

More in Africa, Asia & the Americas

Open the interactive history