Over a considerable period of time, Western imperialists unwittingly provided Japan with the tools that would enable the country to become a formidable power, both economically and militarily.
The Japanese learned from the West and used the knowledge they accrued to help lay the foundations for Japan's future territorial expansion. In other words, Western imperialism ultimately led to Japanese imperialism.
As one can imagine, the Japanese initially resisted the process of Western imperialism. But once they realized that they could turn this relationship to their advantage, the Japanese began to take what they needed from the West, knowing as they did that whatever they could get for themselves would ultimately benefit them in the long-run.
The Japanese were particularly keen on utilizing Western science and technology in building up their armed forces. They realized that in order to be taken seriously on the international stage, they would have to possess...
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formidable armed forces capable of backing up their political will. And so the Japanese army was gradually modernized and given the very latest weaponry and ordnance.
The Western firms and governments who supplied the Japanese with arms had no idea that they were effectively assisting in the creation of something that would one day come back to haunt them when Imperial Japan became one of the biggest threats to the stability of the international order.
When Europeans were expanding their colonies around the world, Japan made the decision to isolate itself and limit exports as a way of protecting Japanese culture from dilution or western takeover. Ultimately, Japan opened its borders when American Admiral Perry sailed into Edo Bay (modern-day Tokyo) and shocked Japan with America's superior naval technology and weapons. Perry demanded that Japan open its ports to American trade; other countries were not as lucky, and were colonized by European powers. Japan however was not colonized, but saw no choice but to open its borders to trade with other nations.
Westernization ended up benefitting Japan. While some cultural elements were made unnecessary, like the samurai warriors, other aspects of Japanese culture thrived with goods and ideas from the West.
The Meiji Restoration followed Japan's ended isolation. Under the Meiji government, the government was recentralized and the feudal period ended. Samurais became bureaucrats who studied under Western economic and political schools of thought. The Japanese military, which was no match for Admiral Perry's fleet, enforced conscription, where every male had to serve in the military for at least 5 years. This effectively abolished the samurai class, as specialized warriors were no longer necessary. Rapid industrialization was funded; Japan wanted to catch up to the West in terms of technology and industry. Also like Western Europeans, Japan engaged in imperialism, taking over Korea and later the Manchuria region of China. With better technology and nutrition from expansion, colonization, and industrialization, the Japanese population boomed. Unlike other nations, Japan managed to industrialize without a major social revolution, making westernization in Japan unique.
In many ways, Western imperialism actually helped Japan. Since Japan was pushed by the West but was never actually conquered, Western imperialism served to force Japan to modernize. Because Japan was pushed and threatened by the West, it became the first non-European country to industrialize.
The major impact of Western imperialism on Japan came when Admiral Perry "opened" Japan to trade in 1854. This action on Perry's part shocked Japan. Japan's leaders had believed that their country was superior to all others until they were shown otherwise by the technology that Perry brought to bear on them.
Japan was not, however, actually colonized. Instead, Japan simply opened up to Western contact. When it did, it promptly started to borrow from the West. It quickly adopted Western ways of production and of military and political organization. This modernization, which was forced by Western imperialism, allowed Japan to become an international power.
Western imperialism, most notably Commodore Perry's opening of Japanese ports in 1853, forced Japan to confront the modern age. They knew that unfair treaties had been imposed by the West on the Chinese and that China's refusal to modernize made it vulnerable to European control. In response, the Japanese, led by the samurai, took a different strategy.
They set out on an ambitious and rapid modernization campaign. They imitated Western models of state organization, established a parliament, industrialized, built a modern transportation infrastructure, and updated and modernized their army and navy. At the same time, they maintained Japanese traditions, such as the institution of the Emperor, as well as the Buddhist and Shinto religious faiths.
The Japanese decided that to stay safe, they needed an empire like the Western powers. They saw this as a defensive move. They aggressively went to war against other countries in Asia, including Korea, Manchuria, and China, in order to secure themselves by becoming the dominant power in the region. Because they were strong and modern, they were able to dominate Asia until their defeat in World War II.