The Walkman, invented by Sony in 1979, revolutionized personal music listening by allowing users to listen to music on the go.

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.

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