February 11 1889 – The Meiji Constitution is Adopted, Leading to the Westernization of Japan

February 11 1889 – The Meiji Constitution is Adopted, Leading to the Westernization of Japan1 (20%) 1 vote For more than two decades, the Emperor of Japan had instituted sweeping changes to the culture of his country, diminishing the influence of the shoguns in order to bring the nation into the 19th century politically. On February 11, 1889, a new Meiji Constitution established a European-style monarchy hinted at by the Restoration of 1868. In creating the new system, leaders created a formal legal code for the first time in Japanese history. Much of what passed for law in Japan amounted to little more than tradition for better than a thousand […]