[kathy's]

hi fisrt of all I want to say how is your week? Um... I need a little help, japan modernized their nation right? So my question is what steps did japan take to modernize their nation?
thanks a million

[Mrs Faithorn]

kathy's, on Apr 17 2006, 07:17 PM, said:

hi fisrt of all I want to say how is your week?

Good, thank you. Just enjoying the last day of the holidays.

Quote

Um... I need a little help, japan modernized their nation right?

That's right.... I assume you are talking about modernisation in the late C19th/before the First World War?

Quote

So my question is what steps did japan take to modernize their nation?
thanks a million

The steps the Japanese government took include the following:

• They adopted Western/capitalist ideas of a free market economy whereby the government interferes as little as possible in the economy and where supply and demand determine the price that goods and services will fetch and where efficient businesses will succede and those that are not will fail.
  
• They adopted, and adapted, Western technologies in industry (especially textile manufacture and shipbuilding), transport (eg railway network) and communications (eg a national postal system was set up)
  
• At first the government set up 'model factories' that private businesses could copy.
  
• They introduced a new currency (the yen) and set up a banking system along Westen lines.
  
• They set up a Stock Exchange where shares in businesses could be bought and sold.
  
• Universities were established.

In addition to these economic changes, there were slow moves towards a more democratic system of government. Constitutional reforms were introduced in 1889 which gave some Japanese men the right to vote, but all the real power still lay with the Emperor. However, I guess it's not the political aspects of modernisation that you are most concerned about

[kathy's]

Thanks.. o by the way me and my sis worked it out we switch on and off the computer!!! thanks for your help