The Meiji Restoration of Japan

The world power and influence that Japan holds today was not always there. Japan was also like China at one time isolated. It was the Americans that forced Japan out of there isolation. Mathew Perry was the commodore in charge of the U.S. Fleet sent to Japan. He threatened to destroy Japan. This caused the Tokugawa shogunate to allow the western powers come into Japan. He was later overthrown and Emperor Mustsushito was restored to power. He then decided to turn Japan into a modern country. This was know as The Meiji Restoration. The emperor was forced to do this in the fear that they might become a colony, so the Japanese started to imperialism countries them self. The Japanese then fought to stay in the world. They also defeated Russia which sent a shock to the west. The had always believed that the eastern/Asian countries and their people were weaker than them. With the defeat of Russia came the Treaty of Portsmouth in which Korea became Japans colony. One thing that the Japanese did was that they kept their traditions and customs. Japan is an archipelago this meant that Japan was made up of a chain of islands. This was an advantage to the Japaneses because they had many ports by which their economy changed.