Japanese Economy and Culture After the Meiji Restoration

This chapter analyses how the Japanese economy, that had experienced culture-led growth until the mid-nineteenth century, accepted and accommodated Occidental thought and institutions after the Meiji Restoration. The examination focuses on the attempt to adjust the internal mental model based on others nearby with the new value and belief system that emphasized the concept of the public. The leaders of Meiji Japan experienced difficult conflicts in the process and, in order to bridge Japanese and Occidental values, they attempted to introduce three mechanisms. First was the concept of the kokutai (national polity) to enhance centripetality and national spirits. Second was the assignment to regional leaders, called meibōka (men of repute), the role of interface between the government and the private sector. Third was the new form of ie system as a device to adjust to Occidental values and preserve the value of human capital accumulated before the Meiji Restoration.