The restoration affected all areas of life, such as the organization of the central government, legislation, the Imperial court, the class system, the local administration, the distribution system, industry, education, diplomacy, and religious policy, and effectively converted Japan into the first Western-style modern state in Asia.
その範囲は、中央官制・法制・宮廷・身分制・地方行政・金融・流通・産業・経済・教育・外交・宗教政策など多岐に及び、日本をアジアで最初の西洋的国家体制を有する近代国家へと変貌させた。