This year marks the 150th year since the Meiji Restoration. The Meiji Restoration – the end of the samurai era and the beginning of a period of modernization in which many Western practices were adopted – was one of the greatest events in Japanese history. Up until that point, the shogun had been the de facto ruler of Japan. However as the threat of colonization grew from Western powers, Japan fell into disarray. The shogun had originally been the emperor’s military commander, however, with the rise of the samurai, the shogun seized absolute control. Faced with these difficulties, young people rose up, defeating the shogunate regime to build a new nation. To confront the shogunate, the rebels took the emperor, who had been the legitimate ruler since ancient times, as their figurehead. Since ancient times and even to this day, the people have recognized the Emperor as Japan’s highest symbol of authority, a figure beyond reproach. As this civil war was waged under the auspices of putting a legitimate ruler back in power, this was not called a revolution, but a restoration. This demonstrates the Japanese tendency to respect tradition while also embracing innovation. Seventy-three years after the restoration, Japan unfortunately made a serious mistake by entering World War 2. The end of the war marked another turning point in Japanese history; Japan rose to the challenge of building a prosperous and peaceful country with great success. People say that this success was based on the spirit of the Meiji Restoration. This year, just 73 years have passed since the war ended.