Loyal Citizens

For centuries, Japanese people were forbidden to leave Japan. But in 1868, a new and enlightened government presided over by the Meiji emperor rose to power. It made political and social changes attempting to modernize the nation. Beginning in 1885, the Meiji government passed laws that permitted Japanese citizens to leave the country.

By that time, Japan was experiencing an economic depression. Farmers who had been heavily taxed to pay for the country’s modernization fell into poverty. They hoped to regain their wealth by earning money while living temporarily in another land. They traveled to other parts of Asia, South America, and North America.

The Meiji government carefully selected which workers got passports. Workers