The death of Emperor Meiji plunged the whole of Japan into grief, and some people even committed suicide because of it. The Japanese just like seppuku too much, and they have to seppuku for everything. However, if all Japanese people were seppuku, the world would probably be too peaceful.

However, three days before the death of Emperor Meiji, King Edward VII of the British Empire also died. The eyes of the world were so captivated by this that not many people paid attention to the death of the monarch of a small country like Japan. After all, compared to the British Empire, the world hegemon, Japan is just a small country in the East that has just been defeated. Except for the countries of the Far East, which will pay attention, the mainstream world will not bother at all.

When Edward VII died, countries around the world sent dignitaries to mourn, and the Chinese Empire also sent Foreign Minister Tang Shaoyi to London to mourn Edward VII. The British Empire is now the world's top power, although Edward VII has little ability, but countries still have to give him face. Even Kaiser Wilhelm II would go to London to mourn Edward VII. After all, Edward VII was Wilhelm II's uncle.

In this case, countries would not have sent any important people to Japan to attend the funeral of Emperor Meiji. China's side is just asking the minister to Japan to send sincere condolences on behalf of the Chinese Empire.

After the death of Emperor Meiji, he was buried in the Fushimi Momoyama Mausoleum in Kyoto. And Crown Prince Kahito also officially ascended the throne on May 21 and became the 123rd emperor of Japan.

Emperor Meiji's son was the only one who lived to adulthood. After his father's death, Jiaren succeeded to the throne as the crown prince, and changed the Yuan Taizheng with the phrase "the tycoon is right, and the way of heaven is also" in the Book of Changes. However, Jiaren is clearly not a good candidate for the throne. Having suffered from meningitis as an infant, he undoubtedly had some mental problems. It's just that. The other sons of Emperor Meiji died at an early age. Jiaren became the only choice. Fortunately, during the Meiji Emperor's reign, a system similar to the Western constitutional monarchy had been established for Japan. As a result, the power of Japan was in the hands of the senators and the cabinet, and the role played by the emperor. Actually, it's not big, it's just symbolic. Therefore, even if Kahito can't handle government affairs, Japan won't mess around.

What's more, although Emperor Taisho is not suitable to be an emperor. But his son Hirohito, although he is still very young, is smart and studious, and has already shown the potential of a generation of Ming Jun. The patriarchs of Japan believed that if they were carefully cultivated. In the future, we will definitely be able to produce a good emperor. And Emperor Taisho is just a transitional figure. When Hirohito grows up, he can completely let Hirohito supervise the country in the name of the crown prince. In this case, there will be no adverse impact on Japan.

Although, the Japanese people are still immersed in the grief after the death of the emperor. But for Emperor Taisho, they are still full of expectations. It is hoped that after Emperor Taisho succeeds to the throne, he will be able to bring a new atmosphere to Japan and make Japan's development stronger.

After the new emperor of Japan ascended the throne. There was also a change in the Japanese cabinet. Because of the defeat in the war against the Chinese Empire, most of the Japanese people were already very dissatisfied with the Saionji Cabinet. It is believed that it is the incompetence of the Saionji cabinet. It led to the fiasco of Japan. Under such circumstances, the Saionji cabinet naturally has only one way to step down.

However, due to the death of Emperor Meiji at that time, the Saionji Cabinet was retained in order to ensure the stability of Japan. Now, the new emperor has ascended the throne. Japan's society is also tending to stabilize, and the Saionji cabinet is naturally about to step down.

It's just that the selection of the next cabinet has become the focus of debate among the elders. A couple of patriarchs. Several people, including the newly promoted senators, are desperately hoping to forget about the people who have installed themselves in the cabinet. As for the choice of prime minister, there is no objection to this. In the initial discussions, the patriarchs had already reached an agreement. The new Prime Minister will be appointed by someone from the Army faction. Among the army factions, there are not many people who are qualified to be prime ministers, except for Katsura Taro, only Terauchi Masatsuki. Katsura Taro is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate. However, Katsura Taro is now a senator, so naturally he can no longer serve as prime minister. (In today's Japan, there is no precedent for a veteran to serve as prime minister.)

Therefore, the candidate for the new prime minister is also about to be announced. Except for Masashi Terauchi, there will be no one else. Masaki Terauchi was a man of great seniority and ability in the Japanese Army faction, and he served as Minister of War in the Katsura Taro Cabinet and the Saionji Cabinet. Although, it was during this period that the Japanese Army began to decline from victory to decline. However, this does not erase Terauchi's personal ability. What's more, the most influential person among the elders of Shan County Youpeng belongs to Terauchi Zhengyi, which already makes the position of Terauchi Zhengyi no surprise.

On May 30, 4608 (10) of the Yellow Emperor Era, the cabinet of Saionji Temple submitted its resignation to Emperor Taisho. Emperor Taisho approved the resignation of the Saionji Cabinet, and the entire Saionji Cabinet resigned.

The next day, May 31, Emperor Taisho appointed former War Minister Masashi Terauchi as Prime Minister of Japan, that is, Prime Minister of Japan. Masaki Terauchi submitted a new cabinet list, and a new cabinet of the Japanese government was formed.

During this period, Emperor Taisho behaved normally, as if he was not in his right mind, but he also knew that he was nothing more than a puppet, a humanoid stamp. Emperor Taisho did not object to the decision of the senators at all, and adopted them all.

In the new cabinet, with the exception of Masashi Terauchi as prime minister, the other cabinet members have fully considered the interests of various factions. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is Yasuya Uchida, the Minister of the Interior is still Kei Hara, the Minister of Finance is Tatsuo Yamamoto, the Minister of War is Shinroku Ishimoto, the Minister of the Navy is Rokuro Yashiro, the Minister of Justice is Masahisa Matsuda, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Culture and Sports, Juntaka Haseba, the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce is Nobuaki Makino, the Minister of Letters is Toshi Hayashimoto, the Cabinet Secretary is Minamihiro, and the Director of the Legislative Affairs Bureau is Keijiro Okano.

These people make up the new cabinet of Japan. He became a bureaucrat at the top of the Japanese government. However, it does not seem like a good idea for them to become cabinet ministers now. Because what is in front of them is a mess. It will not be easy to redevelop Japan.

Today's Japan can be described as having internal and external difficulties. Although the war was over, the Chinese navy was also withdrawn from the coastal waters of Japan. However, Japan also had to bear huge war reparations. The initial war reparations of 150 million pounds had already been paid to the Chinese Empire. This left Japan's treasury completely empty. In addition, they carry a heavy burden. Of the 150 million war reparations, Britain and France provided loans of 50 million pounds, which once again increased Japan's foreign debt. The remaining 100 million pounds was raised by Japan itself. Including the sale of some state-owned assets, the wealth contributed by the Japanese imperial family, and so on. Although it was not easy to raise so much money, it made Japan impoverished.

What's more, Japan will face a war reparations of up to 20 million pounds in the future. In addition, it will take about 20 million pounds to repay Japan's foreign borrowings over the years. This is equivalent to making two-thirds of Japan's annual fiscal revenue used to pay war reparations and pay off foreign debts. The remaining more than 20 million pounds will be used to develop armaments and maintain the operation of the government and the country, which can be described as even more difficult.

In particular, Masashi Terauchi came from the Japanese Army, so he should put the interests of the Japanese Army first. Therefore, after he became prime minister, it was imperative to rebuild the Japanese army. However, the Japanese Army suffered a devastating blow in the Russo-Japanese War, the First Russo-Chinese War, and the Second Russo-Chinese War. A large number of elite soldiers were killed in battle, and the rank and file officers suffered heavy losses. Veterans who had battlefield experience either died or were captured by the Chinese Empire. It can be said that the backbone of the Japanese army has been wiped out. Under such circumstances, it is understandable how difficult it will be for the Japanese Army to rebuild.

In addition to the Japanese Army, the Japanese Navy also needed to be rebuilt. In addition, compared to the Japanese Army, the Navy needs to be rebuilt, which is more expensive. Japan's population is not small, so the Japanese army has an adequate number of soldiers. Recruit some young people, and after a few months of training, you will be able to barely form an army. However, the Navy is different. Every battleship takes a long time to build. Especially those capital ships, each of which was piled up with money. The performance of the Chinese Navy's new dreadnoughts in the war stunned the Japanese, and they wiped out as many as a dozen old battleships of the Japanese Navy. This also let the Japanese know that if Japan wants to redevelop its navy, it must be equipped with more dreadnoughts. However, every dreadnought is not a bargain! Even the British Navy's thin-skinned battleships cost more than a million pounds. If the Japanese Navy wants to buy it, the price will be even higher.

In addition, according to the Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty, the Japanese Navy had to repair the two damaged Satsuma class battleships within four months and hand them over to the Chinese Navy. Only after the acceptance of the Chinese Navy can it be regarded as fulfilling the Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty. Otherwise, the nearly 200,000 Japanese troops captured on the Korean Peninsula would not have been released. Therefore, the Japanese had to repair the two 'Satsuma-class' battleships as soon as possible. (To be continued.) )

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