Episode 118 - Dr. Ryosuke Maeda (Hokkaidō)

In this episode, Dr. Maeda retraces the process of political centralization during the Meiji period, culminating in the establishment of the Imperial Diet in 1890.  We discuss the emergence of national politics, competing political interests at different levels of society, and the impact of Japanese colonialism on national integration along with the idea of a "Long Meiji Restoration." (Transcript here).