The Meiji period. 1868-1912

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The arrival of Commodore Perry in 1854 marked the stage for Japan's dramatic leap from the Middle Ages into modernity. The ports of Japan were forced open; the English, French, Russians, and Dutch promptly demanded-and got-the same privileges. In 1868, the last shogun gave way to a 15-year-old emperor, who dressed in Western-style clothes. Edo became Tokyo, education became a national passion, and the dichotomy between ancient shared values and new imported styles and forms deepened as the Japanese learned colonialism as well, spreading their influence and their sovereignty in Formosa and Korea.