Shibusawa Eiichi\u27s View of Japan\u27s Foreign Affairs: Focusing on His Influences on the Meiji Government

Abstract

From the mid-nineteenth century, Asia, including China and Japan, has been involved in the trend of modernization that was triggered by the activities of European and American powers in this area. In a time of drastic changes, Shibusawa Eiichi (1840-1931) assumed several roles successively: he served as retainer during the bakumatsu period, as official in the Meiji government, and afterwards as businessman, philanthropist, and non-official diplomat. During his service in the Meiji government from 1869 to 1873 and as an entrepreneur from 1873 to 1909, Shibusawa played a key role in devising economic and diplomatic policies for the Meiji government. He is even considered a major designer of modem Japanese economic systems and society. This paper examines Shibusawa Eiichi\u27s view of Japan\u27s foreign affairs and focuses on the way he influenced the Meiji government