Atatürk and Japan

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye, and Emperor Mutsuhito (Meiji), the architect of modern Japan, are two important leaders who tried to bring their countries, (which had experienced great social, economic, and political traumas), to the level of developed countries with the revolutionary innovations they introduced by restructuring their administrative systems. Western civilization has undoubtedly set a great example for this path of innovation. Following Meiji Japan’s success on the road to Westernization, its transformation from a poor and powerless country into a powerful country with industry, economy, know-how, and even an army, along with its defeat of first China (1894-1895) and then Russia (1904-1905) in war, influenced Atatürk, like many other intellectuals of the period. Today, based on some of Mustafa Kemal’s writings about the Russo-Japanese War, it is claimed that he had great sympathy for Japan and used Japan as an example when carrying out his revolutions. It is also claimed that Atatürk learned Japanese and even had the Tokyo Mosque built. In this study, Atatürk’s views on Japan and whether Japan served as an example in the Turkish revolutions will be discussed in light of the available information and documents

Ancient history · China · Civilization · Economic history · Economics · Economy · Emperor · Meiji period · Meiji Restoration · Modernization theory · Political science · Politics · Restructuring · Westernization · Historical Turkish Studies · History · Law · Music Education and Analysis · Turkey's Politics and Society