In what ways did Matthew Perry's opening of Japan lead to the Meiji Restoration?

1 Answer
Anthony X
May 7, 2016

When the US went to Japan telling them to open up their ports, the Japanese government saw how far behind they fell (remember, they became isolationists for over 100 years). They saw the American's and their huge ships, cannons, guns, and other advanced products. This led to the Meiji emperor basically telling the country that they need to industrialize and catch up to the other powers, which they ended up doing.

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