Final answer:
Japan was initially prevented from industrializing because of a lack of free laborers. However, with the abolition of feudalism and the Meiji Restoration, Japan successfully embarked on a period of rapid industrialization.
Step-by-step explanation:
The country that was initially prevented from industrializing because of a lack of free laborers was Japan. Despite its geographic isolation as an island nation, Japan eventually went through a period of rapid industrialization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In Japan's case, the lack of available free laborers was partially due to its feudal social system, which included a large population of peasants who were tied to the land and lacked freedom of movement. However, with the abolition of feudalism and the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Japan embarked on a series of reforms and policies that encouraged industrialization, including the recruitment of skilled foreign advisors and the establishment of modern educational institutions.