Sample response: After the arrival of the United States, the Japanese realized they had fallen far behind the West as a result of their isolationist policies. The Tokugawa Shogunate fell, and the Meiji restoration returned power to the emperor. The new government pursued rapid industrialization and the modernization of Japanese society. By 1900, Japan was the most powerful nation in East Asia, having defeated China and Russia in war. This allowed Japan to expand its territory, and create an imperialist empire, similar to the nations of the West.
