This paper provides a brief history of Japan and its relationship and influence by the West and in particular the U.S.. It
looks at how while a technological and industrial revolution swept the West in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Japan remained in a medieval state, the country governed by a class of hereditary warlords. It examines how once the shogun was overturned, the new Japanese government, known as the Meiji, set about modernizing the country as
quickly as possible and how following the Western example, Japan established modern industries and re-organized her military with the latest available
technology. It evaluates how Japan rose to become one of the world's main powers and even after her defeat in World War II, got back on her feet very quickly. It analyzes how today as more Japanese become exposed to the West and how the more they travel and view Europeans and Americans in their environments, the more they come to realize the disparity in their standards of living and traditions.