Final answer:
The modernization efforts of Russia under Peter the Great present the closest parallel to Japan during the Meiji Restoration, as both pursued significant reforms to westernize and industrialize their nations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The changes in Russia under Peter the Great are most similar to changes that occurred in Japan during the Meiji Restoration. Much like Japan under Meiji leadership, Peter the Great focused extensively on modernizing Russia, incorporating Western technology, and military reforms. Both leaders sought to transform their primarily agricultural societies into industrialized nations to compete with Western powers.
In contrast to the accelerated westernization during Meiji Japan, China before the Opium War resisted Western influence, which ultimately led to the conflicts that weakened the Qing Dynasty. Iran after the fall of Shah Pahlevi underwent an Islamic revolution with different dynamics than Peter's reforms. France during the feudal period is too far removed in time and context to draw a parallel with Russia's modernization under Peter the Great.