Japan and The Philippines: From Traditional to Modern Societies (1977).

This paper attempts to compare the early phase of the modernization of Japan (1868-1898) and that of the Philippines (1945-1972). It focuses on the innovations introduced by the Japanese and Filipino political leaders into their political systems. To appreciate the changes made within each country's political system during what is considered here as the first stage of modernization, spanning roughly a generation, a brief discussion of certain historical facts in the preceding period will be presented first. Meaningful social changes, it is here suggested, were subsequently made within the framework of existing institutions both in Japan and in the Philippines. In other words, tradition was used as a tool of modernization or development. This paper will also deal with Japanese and Filipino family systems--i.e., their respective social organizations and value systems--and their impact on the functions of their political systems during the first stage of modernization of development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]