Why Japan Was Able to Become a Strong World Power Again

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Why Japan Was Able to Become a Strong World Power Again

Beginning in the early seventeenth century, Japan went from being one of the driving forces of technological and military power in the modern world to becoming outdated, old due to a lack of technological innovation. From this Japan was able to outlast the hard times, becoming once again becoming technological powerhouse. This was because, as stated in the book, “The Lexus and the Olive Tree” by author Thomas L. Friedman, they were able to find a happy median between the Lexus and the olive tree, in other words, new ideas and technology, while still maintaining traditional values of culture and race, both politically and socially. Japan was able to rebound, and regain political, social and economic stability and prosper in each after decades of internal conflict and turmoil because they, unlike similar contemporary non-western civilizations, focused on balancing new reforms with older, more historical governmental traditions.

Japan, a once prosperous country, was one of the leading countries in technological, economical and social status until the early 1600s, becomes the victim of many forced, unequal trades by western countries, similar to the other, advanced non-western empires such as China and the Ottoman Empire. After man attempted reforms by the shogun’s chief advisor, Mizuno Tadakuni, had failed, led to the downfall of his reign in office. In 1844, western lands, Britain, France and the United States of America, pushed for Japan to establish political and economical trade relations with other countries. This persistence continued until 1854, when a commodore from the United States of America, Mathew Perry, forcefully makes Japan agree to the Kanawaga treaty,...

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...ause they, unlike similar contemporary non-western civilizations, focused on balancing new reforms with older, more historical governmental traditions. This profound adjustment was a great change of life from earlier times in Japan, thus proving that the reason that Japan regained its overall stability because it was able to balance the old traditions of the country, along with new ideas, pointing back to Friedman’s, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, showing one of his assertions of there having to be a combination of “Lexuses” and “olive trees”, linking them to one of Friedman’s primary examples.

Works Cited

http://www.iun.edu/~hisdcl/G369_2002/meijiconstitution.htm

http://www.pbs.org/empires/japan/timeline_1800.html

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/japans-about-face/timeline-japanese-military-history/1168/

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2130.html

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