(A) ** a fear that Japan would be colonized by western nations
(B) the failure of Japanese expansion
(C) the Shogun’s conversion to Christianity
(D) a desire to stay isolated
EXPLANATIONS BELOW
Concept note-1: -The Meiji Restoration was prompted in part by the fear Japan’sfear of being colonized by western nations. As industrialization increases in Japan, the demand for natural resources increases. In Japanese feudalism, the Daimyo is similar to the position of a lord in European feudalism.
Concept note-2: -There were many causes for the Meiji Restoration, including rice inflation (samurai paid in rice), a decaying bureaucracy, increasing interactions with foreign technology.
Concept note-3: -In 1868 the Tokugawa shôgun ("great general"), who ruled Japan in the feudal period, lost his power and the emperor was restored to the supreme position. The emperor took the name Meiji ("enlightened rule") as his reign name; this event was known as the Meiji Restoration.
Concept note-4: -The Meiji Restoration accelerated the industrialization process in Japan, which led to its rise as a military power by the year 1895, under the slogan of “Enrich the country, strengthen the military” (, fukoku kyōhei).