WEBThe Meiji era (明治時代, Meiji jidai, [meꜜː (d)ʑi] ⓘ) was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. [1] The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization by Western powers to the new paradigm of a ...