The old classes into which society had been divided during the feudal age were abolished. The whole country threw itself with energy and enthusiasm into the study and adoption of modern Western civilization. Japan s rise to an industrial power began during the Mejii restoration. They modeled their economy, education and naval forces after the British. Japan is in a similar geographic position to Britain an island off of a historically hostile continent.
Japan is a mountainous, steep-sloped geologically young, earthquake prone with volcanoes.
All major cities are located along the coastline are a very densely populated island the size of California with 125 million people. There has been centuries of insulation and isolation along with recent government policies perpetuating ethnic purity. Japan displays a cultural uniformity unlike any other nation on the globe ensured by history and custom with unmatched technological development using raw materials from around the globe. This is a huge manufacturing complex whose production is greater than any other economic tiger. The Meiji Restoration reformers sought to change Japan s insular position especially after Americans had negotiated trade agreements unfavorable to Japan in the 1850 s.