Answer: Japan saw the other asian countries around them becoming victims of imperialism, (China + India), and decided establish themselves as a major power by industrializing / modernizing.
Step-by-step explanation:
Japan's approach to European imperialism was to rapidly modernize / industrialize by pursuing an aggressive policy of diplomacy and military expansion. New government reforms were launched in order to transform the once agriculture dependant country into a modern nation-state. Japan's victory over Russia in the Russo-Japanese War which spanded from 1904 - 1905 further helped to establish them as a major power in East Asia and one of the first non-western countries to defeat a Western power in modern warfare.