Meiji, 1852-1912, reign name of the emperor of Japan from 1867 to 1912; his given name was Mutsuhito. He ascended the throne when he was 15. A year later the shogun fell, and the power that had been held by the Tokugawa military house was returned to the emperor. This was the Meiji restoration, a pivotal event in the modern history of Japan, for it meant the downfall of Japanese feudalism and the forging of a new and modern state. Emperor Meiji himself had little political power, but he was a paramount symbol of the unity of Japan. A constitution adopted in 1889 provided for a diet with an upper house selected mainly from the peerage, and an elected lower house to advise the government. The cabinet was not directly responsible to the diet but was regarded as above politics and responsible only to the emperor. In practice, the emperor delegated selection of premiers to a group of close advisers known as the genro, or elder statesmen. Under the direction of these oligarchs (among them Hirobumi Ito, Aritomo Yamagata, and Kaoru Inouye), Japan was transformed into a modern industrial state, and its military power was demonstrated in the first Sino-Japanese War (1894-95) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-5). When the Meiji period ended in 1912, Japan was a world power.

orig. Mutsuhito

(born Nov. 3, 1852, Kyōto, Japan—died July 30, 1912, Tokyo) Emperor of Japan during whose reign (1867–1912) the Tokugawa shogunate was overthrown, Japan was transformed into a world power, and the imperial throne came to the forefront of the political scene after centuries of being overshadowed by shogunal rule. He believed in the need to modernize Japan along Western lines. Under the Meiji emperor the domains (han) and old class system were abolished, a new school system was introduced, and the Meiji Constitution was promulgated. Also during his reign Taiwan was annexed after the Sino-Japanese War (1894–95), Korea was annexed (1910), and Japan defeated Russia in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05). Seealso Tokugawa period; Meiji period; Meiji Restoration.

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Meiji (明 "bright, brilliant" 治 "reign, government") may refer to:

• Meiji Restoration, the revolution that ushered in the Meiji period
• Meiji period - the period in Japanese history when the Meiji Emperor reigned
• Emperor Meiji of Japan - Mutsuhito, the Meiji Emperor, who reigned during Meiji period
• Meiji Constitution - ie. The Constitution of the Empire of Japan
• Meiji Mura - open-air architectural museum near Nagoya.
• Meiji University - University in Tokyo.
• Meiji Seika - A major confectionery firm in Japan.
• Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company - A major life insurance company in Japan.
• Meiji Dairies - A major dairy industry company in Japan.
• Meiji Senmon Gakkou - the former name of Kyushu Institute of Technology
• Meiji Shrine
• Meiji Seamount - a seamount in the northern Pacific Ocean