Japan, during the Meiji Restoration, has always been a fascinating period in time for me. From the romanticized "end of the Samurai" to the rapid changes that shook the country to its core; yet what's always intrigued me the most is just how swiftly (comparatively) Japan managed to westernize itself.
We're talking about a nation that, in a comparatively short period of time, went from fighting with sword and bow to earnestly participating in a seemingly "western" conflict during the first world war, to being a power that was arguably eclipsing some European nations during the second world war. For a long period of time "Japan takes over the world" was arguably a trope in its own right given just how powerful the tiny island nation was, from an economic standpoint at least.
In spite of all this, I can't exactly figure out just what Japan did to westernize faster or to a greater degree than other nations, both in Asia and across the world, especially when it arguably had the least amount of contact with the west before Commodore Perry opened up their ports for trade.
If I recall, Milton Friedman's "Free to Choose" suggested that the reason Japan became an economic power in spite of scarce resources while India was still in the grips of poverty in spite of an abundance of resources was because Japan had less "humanitarian" concerns and so focused more on pushing for a strong economy rather than a "fair" one.
It could also be that, compared to countries like India, the Ottoman Empire, and even China, Japan was a lot more ethnically homogenous and so didn't have to deal with the turbulence of revolution and ethnic conflict to as great a degree as those nations. Or perhaps it's the fact that, for the most part, Japan managed to avoid outright colonial rule while the same can't be sad for vast swathes of the Ottoman Empire, in the case of China there was Hong Kong and Macau, so on.
So, I'm interested, could any historian explain Japan's mysteriously swift westernization? Even today I'd feel many people, if they were in the center of Beijing and then the center of Tokyo, would feel as if Japan is more "advanced" and "first world" than many of its neighbors.
Whew, this will be a tough one. How and why nations develop economically is a seriously disputed topic and conclusions differ widely depending on the political stance of the person analysing.
First of all, you should realize that Japan was not as backwards as you might think. European weapons, not swords and bows, had been used for centuries and although contact to foreigners was strictly regulated, Japanese leader had a very good idea about what Europeans were doing and also recent scientific advancements.
In early 18th century, Tokyo, or Edo as it was called back then had already more than 1 million inhabitants, making it the largest city on Earth.
Japan had also a very highly educated population, literacy rates were higher than in European countries, even before the arrival of the black ships. This was typical for many East Asian countries, where education was held in high regard. Also, Japan was politically stable, unlike China which further increased economic possibilities.
So, the foundation for economic development had already been there before the Sakoku period had ended.
On the other hand, you shouldn't overestimate the speediness of economic development. The "Japan takes over the world" trope didn't evolve until the early 1980s or so. Until the 1960s, Japan was a poor country. Sure, it had made quite some progress and was better off than most East Asian countries but by 1900 Japan's GDP per capita was about the same level as Mexico's or the Philippines's. Yes, it had managed to beat Russia in a limited war in 1905 and had built an impressive fleet but the US was essentially fighting a developing nation in ww2. The economic capabilities of those two countries weren't comparable at all.
Only post-war did the economic miracle occur, similarly to what happened in many European countries. The Korean War increased demand for Japanese goods and political reforms were very industry-friendly. Japanese companies had also developed some very innovative techniques. Modern quality control and lean production have first been mastered in Japan. What exactly is the most important reason for Japan's economic success is not clear though. I would like to point out though that Japan's wealth is not very unevenly distributed compared to other OECD countries. Personally, I don' think that's the fundamental reason for its economic success.
Sansom, George. A History of Japan: 1615–1867
Edit: for some strange reason I wrote 'and' instead of 'had' like I wanted to.