Chinese and Japanese Struggles to Retain Sovereignty in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries

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Both Japan and China had to dismantle their monarchies and create government that included both the very wealthy and the very poor. Addressing such large class gaps into new governments proved to be very difficult, which is why there was not one simple answer for both China and Japan. Bary Wm.T. and Lufrano, R. stated in their Chinese history excerpts, “One of the great features of Chinese politics is that since the Qin and Han dynasties there has existed no noble class… (2000, pp. 317)” This is distinctly different from the non-autocratic rule established by the Japanese government in the late 19th Century during which Tsunoda, R. et al. stated in her excerpt on Japanese history, quoting Ito-ko zenshu, “This [implementation of constitutional government] led to the abolition of the feudal system and made it possible for the Japanese people to live in a new political environment and to have diverse freedoms… (pp. 142-49)” Using a constitutional government, Japan, contrary to China, did not abolish, but separated the powers of the nation’s leaders and those they lead, dealing with the power gap between its citizens with laws regulating the behavior of the rulers (Tsunoda, R. et al., 1964). By retaining class separation and individual liberties, Japan stoked the future intellectual and economic success of their country (Tsunoda, R. et al., 1964).

Japan and China addressed the gargantuan challenges of a disparate citizenship after dismantling their monarchies, and found different ways to do so. Japan retained their noble citizenry but regulated their powers and China abolished the wealthy class. Each method of restructuring class relations and incorporation into a West-dominated world bore different results for Japan and China. Due to their focus on individual freedoms and innovation, Japan quickly attained economic independence and maintained much of their cultural identity. Contrastingly, communism in China resulted in cultural and economic stagnation from which China is just beginning to emerge. In this way, Japan has retained a greater degree of sovereignty than China.

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