Social Structure
When the Japanese government was returned to its power after the Tokugawa period one of their first acts was to dissolve the social standings of the former Daimyo and Samurai. The government aspired to make all people equal. The Daimyo and Samurai were then organised into to one of five new ranks: prince, marquis, count, viscount, and baron. However, over time, these barriers were broken down and eventually. Out of all of this the Samurai were the biggest losers having lost all of the privileges that used to go along with their title. During 1870, to stabilise the country all of the Daimyo’s had to return their land to the Emperor to be restructured. In 1873, a humans rights act was formed and included religious freedom for the Japanese people. In 1885, an intellectual Japanese man wrote an essay called ‘leaving Asia’. The essay talked about how the Japanese should orient their country more like those of the west. This essay was widely viewed and believed to have led to the colonisation of China and Korea, who were thought to be left behind.