THE TOKYO TIMESMeiji Restoration

M O N T H L Y N E W S L E T T E R

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The map of Port Arthur which was recently captured which proves why Port Arthur is one of the most formidable fortresses in Asia.

From Years 1868till 1912

PORT ARTHUR UNDER AT TACK

rime minister Ito had announced yesterday that His Imperial Majesty had

approved of the attack on China for refusing the Japanese demands on changes in the Korean government for the welfare of Korea and the His Majesty’s regime.

After when the Chinese had refused to accept the demand of his Imperial Majesty to reform the Korean government the the Imperial army of Japan had attacked the Qing fortress of Port Arthur, which is known to all has the strongest fortress in all over Asia.

After an extensive battle that had lasted about three months, the Imperial army of the Japan had captured Port Arthur in 1894 November 12th. News had reached the most of the Chinese in the fortress had been terminated. Though the entire islands are in celebration of the victory, it is reported that the diplomats are in grave concern of the situation because of the possibility of Western interference due to the massacre.

On the 17th of April 1895,

National (page 1,2)

Imperial Army victorious against Chinese armyJapan defeats the Chinese army in Port Arthur.

New Economic Policy

The Government promises the people to make immediate reforms in the economy

Empress Myeong Seong of Korea murdered

.The empress of Korea had been murdered at the hands of the Japanese assassins

Lifestyle (Page 3)

Emperor Meiji’s BrideLady Masako who has the most probability of being the new empress is Ichijou Masako (Celebrity Talk)

Editorial (Page 4)

Was Anglo-Japanese Alliance a wise choice?A senior politician of the Dajokan and the captain of the Japanese Imperial Army

Interview (Page 5)

The True Power of the Emperor Interviewer of the Tokyo Times interviews the Emperor Meiji

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chinese forces wiped out in war against the imperial army

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Inside this issue

-Continued in pg 2 The Map of Japan and it’s major neighbors in Asia.

by Ryan Nam

signed the treaty with Japanese officials in the city of Shimonoseki. The Treaty of Shimonoseki had ended the war and also added several territories into the Japanese empire.

“the high handed attitude of the Chinese toward Korea, which is antagonistic interests of Japan, showed our officers that a great war was to be expected sooner or later on the continent, and made them eager to acquire knowledge, for they were as yet quite unfitted for a continental war.”

-Yamagata Aritomo, leader of the Japanese army.

Japan had gained enormous profits through this war. China had given Japan the rights of Liaodong Peninsula, Formosa, and the Pescadores Islands. China had also recognized the full independence of Korea while granting Japan the most-favored nation status from China. China had also payed Japan 200 million taels.

Government Announces to Abolish Old economic Policies

In 1868, Murakami Seiji, the spokesman of the Dajokan, had announced that the government would now carry on a new and more realistic economic policies that would properly tend the devastated economy of Japan.

The government began first ambitious project in 1868 which was

planned to be carried out until 1881. The point of this new policy was to

sponsor industries and enterprises which were known as the Shokusan Koyogo which ensured new economic outlooks for industry.

Spokesman Murakami had also said

hat, “The government will now concentrate developing key industries such as mining, engineering, and shipbuilding for the welfare and the prosperity of of our sacred empire of His Majesty. Foreign experts and instructors will be employed for educating the Japanese on various fields of industry. From now on engineering, technical and naval schools will be widely established all around Japan and now all government assumed mines shall be operated by the foreign experts to increase it’s production! According to our calculation Japan will rank as one of the largest producers of coal and the exporter of copper!”

Spokesman Murakami had also delcared that from that time onwards all the various clan notes and currency were now all suspended but instead would now be replaced with the new currency yen in order to combat the widespread inflation, drop of revenue and the chaos in currency.

From 1873, to increase the government had introduced the new

land taxes. Many experts had given positive views on the land tax stating that the new land tax had provided the government with the largest source of revenue to carry out their transition to a modern nation since every peasant Japan had to pay 3 percent of their annual crops.

Brutal Assassination of Empress MyengSeongThe Korean Peninsula, China, and Russia fell under total shock in 1895 October 19th as Empress Myeong Seong has been assassinated in the Okhoru Pavilion by the Japanese ninjas due to her political activities.

It was the widely known fact that the Empress had been the center of the anit-Japanese party in

Korea. It was she that had continuously brought in the Russian and the Chinese influences in Korea.

To Miura Goro, the consul of Japan to Korea, at the time thought the empress as the greatest threat to the Japanese interest in Korea. So then Miura assembled a group of ex-samurais and ronins and attacked the Okhoru Pavilion where the empress lived in the center of the royal palace.

There Miura and the assassins murdered the empress, court ladies who were visiting, and maids of the empress. Finally, it was reported that the empress’ corpse had been burned down into ashes.

The portrait of Empress Myeong Seong of Korea drawn not long before her death. Page 2

the new Japanese Yen used during the first period of the introduction of the new currency Yen.

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Who would be the new Empress consort of the sacred Chrysanthemum Throne?

he news of the marriage of the expanded fast through the entire Japanese isles. Though

the official date of the marriage had been set on 1869 January in Kyoto, curiosity is continuously growing since the identity of the new empress had yet not been mentioned.

There were many rumors and theories of who the new empress was. Many of the citizens had suspected that the bride of the Emperor Meiji would either be among the nobilities from Satsuma, Choshu, Hizen, or Tosa clan.

However, all these were practically abandoned as most of the people know believe their new empress to be Lady Ichijou Masako. There were numerous reasons about this new theory.

Lady Masako’s family background was one of the strongest support to this theory. Lady Masako was the daughter of Ichijou Tadaka, the Minister of the Left, which makes her the descendent of the powerful Fujiwara clan. The Fujiwara clan was one of the most powerful daimyo families as they were once shoguns of Japan themselves.

Another reason why she is stronly believed to be the new empress is due to her intelligence. Unlike the rest of the candidates the lady had started reading poetry from the age of four and had been known to constantly develop her poetry and calligraphy

skills. She was also a master at the traditional tea ceremony.

The rest of the advantage is that she has the most serene beauty among the other ladies and also is the one of the few that was vaccinated against the terrible small pox.

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Lady Ichijou Masako in her formal and traditional Japanese kimono dress for a traditional ceremony.

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Political cartoon that is showing the drastic growth of power of Japan through the Meiji Restoration. Japan was able to overpower both China and Russia by increasing their power in various areas through the Meiji Restoration.

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Was it a Wise Choice to make the Anglo-Japanese Alliance?

t was the most foolish choice to have made an alliance with Great Britain,” says Suwa

Kyohei, a senior politician of the Dajokan, “The alliance with Great Britain would not fulfill our conquest of Korea.”

Mr. Suwa stated that though it was true that Great Britain was a world power, the one that had more influence in the Asian affairs was Russia. He said that the dominant Russian power was clearly shown by the size of their land and their numerous army.

“If we could just approach Russia with a more attractive condition and an alliance with them would be more profitable than an alliance with the British who is halfway around the

other side of the world,” states Mr. Suwa.

However, Captain Akito Katsuyori had a different thought on the matter.

He mentioned that the alliance with Great Britain was exactly what Japan needed at the moment. “Using the power of Great Britain we could easily restrain the growing intervention of Russia and protect and expand our interest in Rest of Asia,” mentions Mr. Akito.

Mr. Akito also said that if the Russians were defeated, Japan would no longer have any obstacles that would oppose their expansion from Korea to the rest of Asia considering the fact that Russia is the only power that could oppose Japan in time.

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One of the political cartoons of the time that had depicted that this kind of Russo-Japanese relations were existent during the time. Their main feud was over korea

Fusion Sushi: The Iron Tanuki

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Page 4

His Majesty Reveals the truth about his Powers

esterday in 1900 July, the Tokyo Times had

interviewed the Emperor himself in the Asakara Palace and was able to get the true fact about his regained power which the people had been curious of who held them.

When the reporter had asked his Majesty who actually wielded the power of the new government, the emperor had reluctantly answered with a great sight,

“Many people in Japan believes that I had gained back my divine stature along with the power and authorities of the emperors of the past. However, in reality, I am nothing more than a puppet head-of-state of Japan.”

After a period of small silence, the emperor had said, “The ones who rule this entire empire are the young samurais of the Choshu, Hizen, Tosa, and Satsuma clan who are the actual force that had restored me to be divine stature. Though it is true that all decisions are passed only when I had given my permission, but in reality I

have no choice but to concur to the samurais. Once they made a decision, the decision is already passed and my permission and approval contains nothing but just symbolic meanings.”

When the reporter had asked His Majesty about his decisions toward the war with Russia and China he had said,

“The Tokugawas had fallen because they had failed to protect Japan against the foreign influence. That is why I and my officials were able to reclaim our power. So yes, I concur to the fact that expansion and war with China and Russia is necessary if we are to complete the ultimate line of defense.

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Emperor Meiji wearing his formal Western-style military suit with his adorned medals on.

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This political cartoon shows that after the Meiji Restoration period, Japan had obtained strong enough power to join the Western nations and carve out their own sphere of influence in China.

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