How Japan experienced Modernization? :Academic Lecture by Prof. Hassan Kamal Harb

Saraha news- The Embassy of Japan in Jordan, in cooperation with the Politics and Society Institute, co-hosted an academic lecture entitled “The Formation of Japan’s Modern State: Focusing on Politics and Education.” Professor Hassan Kamal Harb, a specialist in Japanese modernization, was invited as the keynote speaker.

This lecture introduced Japan’s historical development with a particular focus on the era of modernization beginning in the late nineteenth century.

The first session of the lecture provided an overview of the closing years of the Edo period — the age of the samurai prior to Japan’s modernization — and examined how Japan emerged as a modern state, with particular emphasis on the political and educational characteristics that shaped this transformation. The second session introduced modern education, one of the defining features of Japan’s modernization model, through the intellectual legacy of Fukuzawa Yukichi, a leading thinker of Japan’s modern era.

Following its encounter with the West, Japan experienced rapid transformations in its political structures and institutions; however, Professor Hassan emphasized the crucial role of education in reshaping traditional Japanese society and integrating it into the broader process of modernization.

Japanese education had already developed a multilayered system during the Edo period, and modern education built upon this foundation supported the formation of a new citizenry after the Meiji Restoration. It cultivated not only Western ideas, but also intellectual traditions rooted in Japan’s unique religious and cultural heritage.

Fukuzawa Yukichi, a leading thinker who intellectually supported Japan’s modernization, famously argued that “national independence can only be achieved through the independence of each individual.” He maintained that

education aimed at nurturing self-reliant individuals was essential for Japan’s progress and development.

H.E. Dr. Tareq Al-Hammouri, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Politics and Society Institute, which co-hosted the event, remarked that “this event was held in a critical moment when not only Jordan and Japan but also the whole world is witnessing the great historical change.”

In his opening remarks, Ambassador ASARI Hideki emphasized the cordial relationship between Japan and Jordan, spanning from the high level to the people-to-people exchange in various fields, including academic exchanges. The ambassador stressed the importance of such an exchange to learn from each other and deepen the mutual understanding.

Professor Harb earned his Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Language and Culture at Osaka University and previously served as Head of the Department of Japanese Language and Literature at the Faculty of Arts, Cairo University. He is currently residing in Kyoto as a visiting research scholar at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies.

For more details about the lecture, please visit the Embassy of Japan in Jordan’s YouTube channelhere.

 

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