Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration is an Age of Empires III technology available to Japanese from the Industrial Age, researched at Consulate. It Advances the player to the Imperial Age; Overhauls the Japanese military among other bonuses and drawbacks (see Effects).
Research profile
- Civilization
- Japanese
- Research location
- Consulate
- Research time
- 90 seconds
- Export cost
- 3,000
- Effect
- Advances the player to the Imperial Age; Overhauls the Japanese military among other bonuses and drawbacks (see Effects)
Effect & research conditions
Available to Japanese from the Industrial Age. Research it at Consulate. Effect: Advances the player to the Imperial Age; Overhauls the Japanese military among other bonuses and drawbacks (see Effects). Research takes 90 seconds.
Research condition
Available to Japanese from the Industrial Age. Research it at Consulate.
When to research
Research when the listed effect supports an immediate army, economy or map objective; check the Age, building and prerequisite in the research details first.
Industrial research and Imperial transition
Meiji Restoration is a Japanese Industrial Age technology researched at the Consulate. Its 90-second research advances Japan directly to the Imperial Age and overhauls the Japanese military, combining bonuses and drawbacks rather than simply applying a free upgrade to every unit. The export price is version-dependent: The Asian Dynasties lists 4,000 Export, while The Baltic Powers uses 3,000 Export. That difference is material when planning Consulate shipments and should be matched to the ruleset being played. The technology is a strategic commitment because the long research time occupies the Consulate and the military changes can alter which units are efficient afterward. Check the Consulate’s effect display before starting, keep the economy producing Export, and avoid beginning the research during a moment when the army must immediately replace losses. It suits a late-game plan that can pay the Export cost and use the Imperial transition; it is less attractive when the match will be decided before research completes or when the existing force depends on units affected negatively by the overhaul. Use the Japanese page and Consulate entry for the broader civilization context.
Preparing the economy for research
The Japanese Consulate’s Export supply is the limiting resource for Meiji Restoration, while the 90-second research duration makes timing equally important. Arrange Export shipments or other available sources before clicking the technology, and keep enough military strength to cover the research window. Since the result advances Japan from Industrial to Imperial and changes the military, decide beforehand which units remain central to the plan and review the effects for the active release. The technology is not merely a button to press as soon as Industrial Age is reached: its cost and overhaul are most useful when the player can exploit the new stage and absorb the changes to the roster.
What the restoration changes
Meiji Restoration is an Industrial Age Japanese Consulate research that advances directly to the Imperial Age after 90 seconds. It requires the Japanese Isolation relationship; completing it permanently locks the Consulate’s Open Relations and End Relationship choices, so Japan cannot switch back to another foreign relationship afterward. The conversion adds two Export per second to the Consulate’s trickle but lowers its experience trickle by one third. It also replaces ordinary Ashigaru Musketeers with Meiji Musketeers, whose Coin cost is five lower, and converts existing Yumi Archers, Samurai, Naginata Riders, Yabusame, Atakebune and Tekkousen into Meiji Riflemen, Meiji Grenadiers, Meiji Uhlans, Meiji Dragoons, Steamers and Ironclads respectively. The exact names matter because the restored army is a different roster, not simply an Imperial promotion of the old units.
A powerful transition with a durability cost
The restored land army is automatically Imperial, but its units have 40% less hit points and damage than their ordinary Imperial equivalents. The research also opens European artillery choices at the Consulate or Shogunate, expanding the Japanese siege options. These gains come with major limits: the Consulate’s foreign relationship controls are gone, its experience income falls, and the army’s lower combat values make unsupported trades dangerous. Some naval units still arrive through Home City shipments, and Atakebune production is restricted to Meiji Musketeers, so the transformation does not turn every former Japanese unit into a freely trainable replacement. Before starting, identify the land units and ships that will remain available, compare the Export cost and 90-second window with an Imperial Wonder age-up, and ensure the army can survive while the Consulate is occupied.