Before the 19th century, Japan was a feudal society ruled by tradition, not technology (think of the society in 47 Ronin). Perhaps the reason in why Japan was able to achieve such rapid industrialization lies in the type of feudal society that Japan was.
In feudal Europe, there were local lords who had their own military protection (knights and stuff). Thus, there was lots of violent conflict between nearby lords, which got in the way of peaceful advance in things like technology or art. However, in Japan, even feudal society was more organized:
- local lords were called daimyos, and they ruled over designated regions
- there was also a shogun, who controlled the daimyos and reserved the right to interact with foreign countries
The fact that the shogun held more power than any of the daimyos helped to stifle power struggles between the daimyos, and promoted more peace.
Thus, even in feudal Japan, there was considerable infrastructure, including waterways to prevent flooding and facilitate trade. This infrastructure made quick industrial scaling possible during the 19th and 20th centuries.
After the fall of the Japanese Tokugawa government, the Meiji government took its place. This government committed itself to make Japan economically and militarily stronger by re-aligning itself with the already powerful and wealthy Western powers.
Another incentive for Westernization was maintaining sovereignty of Japan. Throughout Asia, European countries had established many colonies to further cement their power, and Japan did not want to be turned into a colony like Singapore or the Philippines. So, the Meiji government sent the Iwakure Mission to learn how the Western countries came to power, and how Japan could do the same. With this knowledge, the Meiji government embraced industrialization and rapid westernization.
Japan first focused on independent economic growth, and with this newfound wealth, Japan increased its military capacities. The rapid advancement in the economy was aided by concentration in the form of zaibatsu, which means financial cliques. Unlike American monopolies, however, these were large companies that lowered production costs by gaining profits in one sector and using those profits to pay for advancement in another sector. This allowed for traditional economic activities like farming to not only coexist but aid the economy's modernization.
https://eh.net/encyclopedia/japanese-industrialization-and-economic-growth/
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/japan_1750_meiji.htm
https://searchinginhistory.blogspot.com/2015/05/fukoku-kyohei-slogan-that-defined-meiji.html
Photo: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Marunouchi_London_Street_1920s.jpg
In both MEHAP and APUSH we had learned about how Japan was essentially the only asian nation how had industrialized and was a power that was able to stand up to european nations and America. However, the reasons behind this rapid industrialization were largely glossed over. I thought that you description was very helpful in explaining how the Japanese managed to catch up, and provided in depth knowledge on the Japanese's reasons and motivations. I also thought that your blog was written in a humorous tone, which made the article enjoyable to read.
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