Edo Period's Economic Heritage And Modernization Of The Japanese Economy

Modernization of Japanese economy was not "like trees", because of the economic development of the Edo period, which had laid a solid foundation for the modernization of the Japanese economy.During the Edo period, Tokugawa rulers had completed the unification of the country, which made Japan maintain its 200 years of peaceful and stable situation; which had provided an important prerequisite and guarantee for the economic recovery and development. The policy of the Edo period objectively provided system protection for economic development. Political and economic policies of the binary separation have made the social resources become a rational allocation and use, which stimulated a wide national participation consciousness, which was useful to the development of production and social progress. The status hierarchical system was social division of labor and also was a career system, which was benefited for the formation of multi-national values of modern Japan. The population structure was conducive to the development of agricultural productivity. Appliance of Stone introduced the system of high letters, on the one hand, led to the commercialization of the economic system, which was conducive to the development of commodity economy; on the other hand, cleared and gave unprecedented power to farmers, which stimulated production interest of farmers, which became incentives system of social production development, which was in favor of the development of social production.During the Edo period, the agricultural economy,handicraft economy and goods-monetary economy have got obvious development. About the agricultural economy, agricultural technology have made obvious progress, the area of arable land has got a significant growth and yield of per unit area has significantly increased; the commercial agriculture began with a rapid development after the mid-Edo period. About the economic of handicraft, with the development of handicraft economy in urban and locality, rural handicraft industry has gradually risen and rapidly developed, the capitalism began to emerge in sectors of silk-industry after mid-18th century. About the commodity economy, with the rapid development of Lord's commodity economy and monetary economy, which resulted in a large class of businessmen, who had accumulated huge capital, had gradually invested in the area of production and converted towards agricultural capitalists and handicraft capitalists. As economic development of the Edo period, which has provided a good foundation for the modernization of the Japanese economy after the Meiji Restoration, the modernization of the Japanese economy after the Meiji Restoration has developed on the base of it, So the two eras showed the inherent continuity and succession on the term of economic development.