3 December 2013

The Choshu Five, UCL and the Making of Modern Japan

Organised by:

SCI's London Group

UCL, London

Registration Closed

This event is no longer available for registration.

Synopsis

Why did five young samurai escape their native land in 1863 and travel across the world to enrol at UCL? And why did they go on to make such an impact in Meiji Japan? Some went on to achieve high places in the new government, including the country's first cabinet minister, but for all of them science and technology were central to their success. It was no coincidence, after all, that they all worked at some point in the Ministries of Public Works and Finance. This talk focuses on what they took with them back to Japan from Britain and how the experience influenced their subsequent careers and the shaping of modern Japan.