The year 2018 marks the end of the 260-year rule by the Tokugawa Shogunate and the start of a new government headed by the Emperor. The term “Meiji Restoration” is often used narrowly to refer to the political events of 1868, which is why the 150th anniversary is observed this year. More generally, however, the term often refers to the series of changes that occurred after the new government was established, including Japan’s opening to the world, abolition of feudal domains and the samurai class, establishment of the modern Cabinet system in 1885, and proclamation of the Meiji Constitution in 1889 and the opening of the Parliament in 1890. In this article, the author uses the term in this broader sense.

中文翻译：

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明治维新的意义

2018年标志着德川幕府（Tokugawa Shogunate）260年统治的结束，以及天皇领导的新政府的开始。“明治维新”一词通常狭义地指1868年的政治事件，这就是为什么今年要庆祝建国150周年。但是，更笼统地说，该术语通常是指新政府成立后发生的一系列变化，包括日本向世界开放，废除封建领地和武士阶级，1885年建立现代内阁制度以及宣布1889年的《明治宪法》和1890年的议会开幕。在本文中，作者从广义上使用该术语。