Question

which event most directly led to the meiji restoration?

Answer 1

The event that most directly led to the Meiji Restoration was the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry and his "Black Ships" in 1853. Perry's expedition demanded that Japan open its ports to American trade, effectively ending over two centuries of Japan's self-imposed isolation under the Tokugawa shogunate. This confrontation highlighted Japan's vulnerabilities and spurred widespread discontent with the shogunate’s inability to defend national interests. Over the following years, various factions within Japan mobilized against the shogunate, ultimately leading to the Meiji Restoration in 1868, which restored imperial rule and initiated a period of rapid modernization and industrialization.