The articles in this series were compiled from contributions by members of the Political and Diplomatic Review project of Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research to the forum on "Japan since the Meiji Restoration," held to reassess the 150 years since the start of Japan's modernization. In Part 4, Yuichi Hosoya explores the significance of Meiji 150 in the context of world history.
In examining the significance of the sesquicentennial of the Meiji Restoration, I will begin by zeroing in on 1868, providing an overview of the Western world and its basic direction at the dawn of Japan's modern period. Then I will offer some observations about the shape and character of Japan's last 150 years.