For centuries Japan had looked inward rather than out into the wider world. There had been relative peace, and a way of life that enabled a thriving population to feel comfortable in its culture and beliefs, untainted by Western influence. But in many ways the regime was harsh and unforgiving so, inevitably, things were bound to change. But if that change had not come, or come more slowly, what would the real difference have been to Japan itself, and what impact would its continued isolation have had on the region and the wider world?
What did Japan have that the world wanted?
Not very much, which was why the world's great powers had for the most part left Japan alone up until the 1850s. It wasn't a land of fabled riches, as India was. Nor were there expected to be particularly exciting
