Editing Imperial Japan (section)

=== Meiji era ===
At the height of rapid modernization and industrialization during the Meiji Restoration, remnants of the Tokugawa Shogunate rebelled against Emperor Mutsuhito, but the resistance was crushed and the breakaway republic of Ezo was terminated, ending the Boshin War. During the restoration, Japan ended the Tokugawa shogunate and abandoned much of their ancient traditions in the name of westernizing their society. In addition, the Meiji government began colonizing surrounding islands, such as [[Ainu Wars|Hokkaidō, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands]], [[Ryūkyū Disposition|the Ryūkyū Kingdom]], and [[Colonization of Taiwan|Taiwan]]. These conquests were primarily done to prevent a potential Russian invasion. In 1875, Japan issued the Treaty of Saint Petersburg with Russia rewarding the Kuril Islands to Japan in exchange for Sakhalin.

On February 11th, 1889, the Meiji Constitution was introduced, ending Japan's absolute monarchy and establishing an elected cabinet.

In 1905, the Russo-Japanese War ensued over a territorial dispute over Korea and Manchuria, to which Japan won the war and annexed southern Sakhalin and turned it into a prefecture known as Karafuto. In 1910, Japan colonized Korea under an annexation treaty.