Western Influence on Japan

The new Meiji era is the starting point for Japan to be isolated from foreign countries. In the late Edo period, Matthew C · Perry came to Japan to establish the Japan-US Settlement and Friendship Treaty "Japan Beihosin Habitual Practice" and opened Japan completely to the United States. Shortly thereafter, senior foreign officials from other countries came to Japan to develop a similar friendship treaty and changed Japan into one country of the world. According to the treaty, foreigners began to build houses, live in one of the open ports, and began cultural influence on those who have never seen a foreigner.

As an influential country to the West of Japan, Japan is a constantly changing society. Since Western countries have been involved in Japan, recent changes have grown at a considerable rate. Due to the participation of the West, Japan now faces cultural, economic and social differences. From the Meiji to the present, participation was started by the Japanese themselves.

In 1854, when the Tokugawa shogunate was first opened to a Western company and an influential country (the end of the curtain), Japan experienced economic development of two periods. When the Tokugawa shogunate was overthrown and the Meiji government was established, the westernization of Japan began. The first half is Japan before the war and the second half is the postwar Japan. The Industrial Revolution first appeared in fabrics including cotton, especially silk, which was based on family workshops in rural areas. By the 1890's, Japanese fabrics dominated the local market and succeeded in competing with British products in China and India. Japanese shippers are competing with European traders to ship these goods to Asia and Europe. Like Western countries, textile factories mainly employ women, half of them are under 20 years old. They were sent there by their father, and they gave their wages to their father.