The Meiji Restoration is considered the beginning of modernization in Japan. Commodore Perry's arrival in Japan transformed the nation from feudalism and isolation to a world power in the 20th century. Japan imitated the model of the Western powers by industrializing and expanding its foreign influence. Japan reacted distinctly when challenged by the West. When the United States and European countries forced Japan to open its ports to the world in the 1850s, Japan decided to take the West as a model for its own benefit. When the emperor was restored to power, Japan modernized, militarized, and industrialized. These changes were all based on the examples set by the West. In the early 1900s, Japan emerged as an imperial power and extended its supremacy throughout East Asia. Japan showed that it was just as capable as the West and disproved the Western myth by showing that it was its equal. Japan was originally ruled by the Tokugawa shoguns, who ruled the nation under a rigid feudal system. In Japanese society, the warrior aristocracy, also known as the samurai class, was at the top, while the merchants were at the bottom. Commoners had no freedom and were surrounded by restrictions. They were not allowed to participate in politics. Japan was cut off from all contact with the rest of the world. However, they were open to trade with China and also with Dutch merchants. The only reason Japan was open to trade with Dutch merchants was because of its relationship with the Netherlands. Dutch merchants had sought consent from the Tokugawa shoguns to acquire trading rights with Japan, and they had to swear that no merchants would travel inland. They also had to... middle of paper ... fashions and manners, including the metric system and the Western calendar. Japan's population grew rapidly and with the Meiji Restoration came a sense of pride and nationalism. The nation planned to create an empire and the state passed a law stating that everyone should return to the ancient religion of Shintoism. To support its empire, Japan had to find raw materials, which led to its expansion in the 1870s. Japan forced Korea to open its ports to trade and Japan grew into a large military, equal to that of the West. The Meiji Restoration is considered the beginning of modernization in Japan and Commodore Perry's entry into Japan brought great changes to the nation. As the 20th century approached, Japan became an industrialized and modernized nation, which served as a competitor to the nations of Western Europe..