Editing Showa Statism (section)

===[[File:PanAsian.png]] Views on Race and Ethnicity===
Japan's modern era began with foreign involvement that reopened the nation to a world largely dominated by Western influence. Western ideas of race, especially Social Darwinism, significantly shaped Japanese racial thought. Under the Meiji Constitution, the state promoted the belief that the Emperor descended directly from the original Yamato clan and that the Japanese people shared an organic connection to the emperor, fostering the concept of a unified, homogenous racial identity. This belief system laid a strong foundation for a vigorous nationalism.

Japan’s rapid modernization inspired leaders to aspire for an empire that could challenge Western notions of racial superiority. Simultaneously, many Japanese saw their culture and racial identity as offering something valuable to the "less advanced" societies of Asia. This dual perspective fueled both imperial expansion abroad and repressive policies at home. Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the government annexed Ainu territories and introduced policies intended to assimilate the Ainu people. Similarly, the Ryukyuans, now known as Okinawans, were pressured to adopt mainstream Japanese culture. Although terms like ''burakumin'' ("hamlet people") replaced older labels such as ''eta'' and ''hinin'', these linguistic changes did little to reduce discrimination. Japan's expanding empire also brought a significant Korean population into its borders, where they, too, faced systemic discrimination.