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When was Japanâs first railroad built, and why was it important?
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Meiji Restoration
After the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate, the Meiji emperor became the formal head of a new imperial government under whose reign Japan was transformed from an isolated feudal society into a modern, industrialized global power.
Japanâs first railway was built between Tokyo and Yokohama in 1872.12
The development of a modern rail network was a significant and farsighted goal for the government following the Meiji Restoration (1868). Despite strong domestic opposition from those who feared the expansion of foreign economic and political influence, the projectâfinanced and built by the Britishâmarked a critical step in Japan's modernization efforts. By transitioning away from traditional travel methods, such as walking or using palanquins, the establishment of this railway laid the foundation for the country's eventual development of an extensive and highly efficient national transport system.312