Question

which event most directly led to the issuing of the 1868 charter oath?
the charter oath (of the meiji restoration), 1868
by this oath, we set up as our aim the establishment of the national weal (public good) on a broad basis and the framing of a constitution and laws.

1. deliberative assemblies shall be widely established and all matters decided by public discussion.
2. all classes, high and low, shall unite in vigorously carrying out the administration of affairs of state.
3. the common people, no less than the civil and military officials, shall each be allowed to pursue his own calling so that there may be no discontent.
4. evil customs of the past shall be broken off and everything based upon the just laws of nature.
5. knowledge shall be sought throughout the world so as to strengthen the foundations of imperial rule.

source: wm. theodore de bary, ed., et al., sources of japanese tradition, columbia university press
options:

• britain’s victory in the opium war
• russia’s defeat in the russo - japanese war
• the establishment of a separate port for dutch traders
• the collapse of the tokugawa shogunate

Explanation:

The 1868 Charter Oath was part of the Meiji Restoration. The collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate led to the Meiji Restoration, which established a new government and the Charter Oath. Britain’s Opium War victory (1840s) is unrelated to Japan’s 1868 events. The Russo - Japanese War was in 1904 - 1905, after 1868. The Dutch port establishment was earlier (in the Edo period) and not a direct cause of the 1868 Charter Oath. So the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate is the event that most directly led to the 1868 Charter Oath.

Answer:

D. The collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate