Final answer:
With the Meiji Restoration, Japan sought rapid modernization to prevent colonization and catch up with Western advances in technology and industry, which included sending scholars abroad, inviting Western experts to Japan for guidance, and investing heavily in infrastructure like railroads and shipbuilding. This transformed Japan into a world power with a nationalistic view towards Asian dominance.
Step-by-step explanation:
Japan's approach to Western advances changed significantly with the advent of the Meiji Era. Prior to this period, Japan had remained largely isolated, but the threat of Western imperialism and the demonstrations of Western power, such as those shown by Commodore Matthew Perry, led Japan to realize the necessity of modernization to maintain its sovereignty.
During the Meiji Restoration, starting in 1868, Japan undertook a process of rapid westernization, seeking to modernize its technology, military, and industry. Influenced by the fear of colonization observed in nearby Asian nations and driven by the aspiration to be on par with Western powers, Japan embarked on a major transformation. They sent scholars abroad to learn Western technologies and governmental systems, and they invited Western experts to Japan to aid in this modernization process. Scrapping the feudal system, they embraced industrialization, building infrastructure such as railroads to unite the country, while also focusing on heavy investment in shipbuilding to protect themselves from the sort of gunboat diplomacy that had forced them to open up a few decades earlier.
This era of industrialization and modernization eventually positioned Japan as a world power, marked by its victories in conflicts such as the Russo-Japanese War and expansion into areas like Taiwan, Korea, and parts of China. However, this rapid advancement also led to nationalistic attitudes and a view towards establishing dominance in Asia, which had important implications for Japan's foreign relations and subsequent actions in the 20th century.