The Meiji Restoration in the late 19th century saw the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate and the modernization of Japan.

The Honda Civic, first introduced in 1972, is one of the most popular and enduring Japanese cars of all time, with over 18 million units sold worldwide.

The airbag, which was co-invented by Yasuzaburo Kobori and Allen K. Breed in the 1980s, has become a standard safety feature in automobiles worldwide.