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Hi folks, welcome to the show.

We're going back to 1868 and how Japan embarked on one of the most dramatic transformations in world history.

After centuries of isolation under the Tokugawa Shogunate,

a group of young samurai, basically sort of reformist nobles,

restored imperial rule, kind of,

and launched the country into a bold new era, the Meiji Restoration. They were determined to avoid

the fate of all the other colonized nations around the world. And these new Japanese leaders

pursued rapid modernization. They reformed education, the tax system, they built railways,

they built battleships and a national army. In just 50 years,

Japan became an industrialized empire and a rising global power. They even defeated a major

European empire. Joining us to unpack this really extraordinary story is the cultural historian

Chris Harding. He is an expert in all things, Japan, India and East-West Connections.

Chris, thank you very much for coming on the show.

Thank you for having me.

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