Japan, a remote island in the Pacific Ocean in East Asia, surprised the world when it opened its doors to the Western influence in 1854. While it had a strict policy of maintaining its isolation, it had no choice but to succumb to imperialism. During Commodore Matthew Perry's visit, Japan realized that isolation had resulted in its inability to develop economically and militarily with the industrialized world. Thus, from 1854 to 1914, the Japanese moved from the influence of imperialism to an imperialist nation, and also moved out of feudalism and into modern militarism. Despite all these changes in its economy and military, Japan managed to consolidate its power under a single ruler, whether it was the shogun, the emperor, or the military general. From early 1854 to late 1914, Japan went from being threatened by trade with the West to aggressively embracing imperialism. After Commodore Matthew Perry's first visit, Japan had no choice but to open trade, as it was under threat of destruction. This is seen in the Treaty of Kanagawa, which established diplomatic relations between the United States and Japan. Eventually, other similar treaties were signed in favor of these Western countries. Japan was at that time under the influence of these countries. Eventually, however, Japan began to develop its own imperialism over China, Korea as well as parts of Russia. Japan not only became an imperial power, but it became a world power after driving out the Russians and asserting its hegemony in Nanjing as well as Manchuria. During a period of rapid industrialization and development, the Japanese...... middle of paper...... integrated into the Japanese political system. The reason Japan favored autocracy is that it has greater variation in economic growth rates than partial or full democracies. For example, under militarism and aggression, it was easier to modernize since the state controlled the economy. This system of government also gave Japan an advantage over its people by enforcing a strict policy aimed at crushing any resistance. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan emerged as a regional power capable of defeating the forces of China and Russia. During this period, Japan underwent significant changes while maintaining its autocratic rule over its people. For example, Japan, threatened by Europeans, became one of the world powers. Despite all this, Japan still had an emperor and an authoritarian regime was preserved. .