Answer:
Great Britain as an European Nation, followed the lead of other European Powers like Spain and Portugal, and began to found colonies in the seventeenth century. These colonies would become part of the British Empire, the largest empire in history.
Britain was also the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, more specifically northern England, in cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Sheffield.
Finally, as an Island nation, Britain understood that its best defence was a strong navy, and it developed one over the years, which made the island essentially impossible to invade.
Japan on the other hand, was an Asian nation that was not interested in foreign matters. In fact, Japan had closed itself to the world until general Mathew Perry obliged the Japanese to trade with the United States.
From then on, Japan decided to embrace European and American values, and ended the Feudal regime that had controlled the island for centuries. It also began to industrialize, and to seek out colonies in the Pacific and in Asia.
