Japan 1900
... until the spring of 1884 when Ito Hirobumi returned from Berlin with many new ideas. The Japanese dealt with the role of the emperor by placing the emperor in a position of primacy in the state. The imperial family were said to rule over Japan in perpetuity, and the emperor under the constitution was the repository of absolute and sacred sovereignty. The emperor himself had little political power and very small influence on events going on in his country. The Peace Preservation Ordinance banned women from participating in political events and meetings. Under the Civil code of 1898, women had no independent legal standing ground, and all the legal matters were handled by either the father, husband, or son to whom she obeyed. Women had no say in who the married or where they lived and while technically they could protest against their circumstances, it could not be done in a political manner. Women did not share any equal rights with men at this time. Japan did not under go all of this reform only for itself, but also to be recognized by the other Western po...