Western Imperialism In Japan

Since opening its “doors” in 1852, Western ideals began to influence the way Japanese people saw themselves. Many did not believe a nation-state could be consolidated under the Tokugawa regime, and should therefore reform the government and the nation according to Western ideology. This is perhaps best exemplified in the Meiji Restoration, which began as a way to not only reform the old Tokugawa way of life, but to also transform Japan into a nation that could stand on equal grounds with the West. Thus, following in their footsteps, Japan began its efforts in creating a national identity while imitating Western imperialism and modernity. Despite the efforts to consolidate a Japanese modern nation-state, different positions on the inclusion
Although the creation of a Constitution not only centralized the country at least on paper, but was also a step in Japan’s modernization, difficulties still existed in defining the Japanese “subjects” under its articles, and essential “who” the “Emperor” had power over. Nationalism through imitating Western imperialism was not so simple, as the state still needed a way to incorporate the people outside the mainland into their efforts of nationalism. Indeed, as loyalty to the emperor and the nation were stressed in the Constitution, anyone who was perceived to be outside the realm of Japanese civilization was excluded. In regards to the Ainu, because Hokkaido was often referred to as a “no-man’s land” they were “excluded” to the point that they were literally “written out” of Japanese society and history. On the other hand, even though the creation of the Hokkaido Former Natives Protection Law undoubtedly acknowledged the presence of people on Hokkaido, these laws were nevertheless undermining the lifestyle of the Ainu, and were used as an attempt to assimilate their traditional way of life. To the mainlanders, the Ainu were still “destined to extinction…concealed and erased from historical memory” and therefore inferior to the mainlanders. Other cases of this appear in the Japanese adaptations of Othello, and in the story of Officer Ukuma. Especially in the later adaptations, Osero, the Japanese version of the Shakespearian play, embodied many themes of racial exclusion. The Taiwanese were perceived to be “savages,” while the main character, Washiro, was labeled a “New Commoner” who had “bad blood.” Officer Ukuma, as well, was a story depicting the difficulties of social mobility for someone from “an impure background” – in this case, the island of Okinawa. Although Ukuma Hyaaku was