This is partly because the Japanese are disinclined toward social disorder. Society, more than politics, grounds the way Japanese conceive of themselves. In the postwar period this has meant, for example, that democracy is often defined socially, not politically. In other words, the first images that come to mind when the Japanese think of democracy are not the ballot box or corrupt politicians. Rather, the Japanese regard democracy in terms of greater and more equal access to material wealth and social goods.
Society is basic to the Japanese view of the world.
In the 19th century there was no social revolution when the shogunate was overthrown. The Meiji Restoration was not a revolution like the French Revolution or the Russian Revolution. The Meiji Restoration was followed by what appeared to be abrupt change, as state and society for all intents and purposes were remade. In fact, however, the restoration was preceded by a great many incremental developments, which sowed seeds gradually for the profound reforms that followed. In reality, the incremental, evolutionary developments broke through.