The Meiji Restoration played a significant role in the modernization of Japan. The Meiji period was a time of political and social revolution. It brought major social, political, and economic changes to Japan, and these changes became the foundation of the Japan we know today. Before the Restoration of 1868, Japan was a militarily weak country with a feudal agricultural society and was controlled by feudal lords. When the Meiji period ended with the Emperor's death in 1912, Japan was a well-developed nation with a constitutional monarchy, an elected government, a strong economy, a powerful military, and a well-educated population. The Meiji Restoration allowed Japan to modernize and adopt the ideas, technologies, and social, political, and economic systems of the Western world. Some of the major changes that occurred in the political system during the Meiji period were the introduction of the Imperial Charter Oath and the Meiji Constitution. The Imperial Charter Oath of April 1868 was a document that officially declared a break from the old feudal system. The fifth provision which stated, “Knowledge shall be sought throughout the world so as to strengthen the foundations of imperial rule,” is perhaps the most important because it officially opened Japan to the world. He encouraged the modernization of the country by encouraging the Japanese people to study the Western world and to adopt their own social, political and economic systems in Japan if possible. The new leaders also thought that a constitutional government would put Japan on par with the Western powers. Thus, in 1889, the Meiji Constitution was created, modeled on the Prusso-German model. The Constitution established the emperor as ruler, developed a bicameral...... middle of paper......d growing businesses and industries. However, this soon led to a financial crisis, which was then followed by a reform of the monetary system. The Bank of Japan was also founded, modeled after the European banking system, and this encouraged the creation of specialized banks to help finance agriculture, special industries, and trade. These developments greatly helped Japan's economic systems. In conclusion, the Meiji Restoration was significant in the modernization of Japan because it exposed Japan to Western culture and brought important social, political, and economic changes to Japan. Historian John Whitney Hall described the Meiji Restoration as "Japan's transition to modernity" and "proved to be one of the pivotal events in Japanese history." Westernization and the changes brought about by the Meiji Restoration provided the structure of modern Japan.