During the Tokugawa shogunate, the loyalty of the samurai warriors was towards their daimyo or feudal overlord. With the Meiji Restoration, the loyalty shifted from the daimyo to the emperor. This marked a significant change in the hierarchy and power structure of Japan.

Real-world Example: Think of it as if you had always followed the instructions of your class teacher, but then the principal of the school asks you to follow their instructions instead. It's a shift from following a local authority to a higher, central authority.

Conscription was introduced, requiring all Japanese men to serve three years in the army and four years in the reserves. This was not only to defend the country but also to instill unification.

Real-world Example: It's like mandatory school assemblies where everyone participates together. These assemblies not only serve as a place to communicate important announcements but also help create a sense of unity among students.

Buruma points out that national unity in Meiji Japan was perceived as armed unity. National education was also seen as military education. This was a way of promoting nationalism by fostering loyalty to the emperor and the country.

This established absolute loyalty to the emperor, emphasizing that the emperor is the supreme Commander in Chief. Soldiers and sailors were not allowed to express political opinions or comment on imperial policies, even privately.

• This system of absolute loyalty was problematic. Young officers in the 1930s could defy the civilian government if they suspected it was acting against the imperial will. Eri Hotta supports this interpretation and suggests the 1882 decree as a latent cause of Japan's militarization in the 1930s and its attack on Pearl Harbor.

Real-world Example: It's like if you were told to always listen to the principal without question. If you thought your teacher was doing something against the principal's rules, you might feel justified in ignoring or defying your teacher, even if it wasn't the right thing to do.

The Meiji Restoration transitioned Japan into a nation where the people were bound to their emperor. This was achieved through the ideology of nationalism.

Japan, like many European countries at the time, sought to expand its territory for several reasons:

• To elevate its status as an imperial power
• To access resources for a growing population
• To secure territory that might fall under the control of rivals like Russia, Britain, France, or the US

Real-world Example: It's like playing a game of Risk where you try to conquer more territories to gain more resources and prevent other players from becoming stronger.