Japan remained mostly isolated from the foreign world during Edo period.

Catholic
Christianity started to spread slowly into the country mainly because of Spanish
and Portuguese allies.The Tokugawa shogunate(Bakafu) perceived Catholic
Christianity to be a destabilizing factor of the social system of Japan.So,they
rebelled agianst the Europeans and kick them out of the country.And,Dutch and
Chinese were limited to Dejima port in Nagasaki for trading.This isolation went on
for over 220 years until 1853 when Matthew Perry forced the opening of Japan to
America for trade.During the (Sakoku) or closed country status relatatoins and
trade between Japan and other countries were severlylimited and nearly all of
foreign nationals were barred from entering Japan and most japnese were barred
from leaving japan.Japan was not completely isolated under the sakoku policy. It
was a system in which strict regulations were applied to commerce and foreign
relations by the shogunate and by certain feudal lords. There was extensive trade
with China and Dutch through the port of Nagasaki, in the far west of Japan The
policy stated that the only European influence permitted was the Dutch factory at
Dejima in Nagasaki.From the Dutch, Japanese learned western scientific, technical
and medical innovations through Rangaku ("Dutch Studies").Apart from these direct
commercial contacts in sorrounding provinces, trading countries sent regular
missions to the shogun in Edo and Osaka Castle.

2.Eventhough Tokugawa era came to an end in 1868 ,It had laid the basic framework
for the scope of modernizatoin in future.During Edo period,Society was as
standstill,a social system was formed, Everybody knew their job and position,Roads
were connected to peripheral prefectures,local economy boosted,agriculute
productoin grew,credit system was introduced,
3.Japan underwent a vast array of changes after the Meiji Restoration. Among those
were:

Main factor that drove meiji political transformation

Meiji Era underwent thorugh massive political and social changes.After seizing
the power to his hands by Emperor Meiji, he realized about the vulnerability of
Japan due to overstanding threats from the europeans and the U.S. THe japanese were
at huge risk cause they were in no match against Europeans deadly weapons and
ships. He wanted to turn Japan into global power equal to Europe and America.
Iwakura Mission(a convey of japanese Embassy to the U.S) was carried out inorder to
modernize the Japan to increase its stability and power in the Asia Pacific.Those
efforts at modernization required Western science and technology, and under the
banner of �Civilization and Enlightenment� (Bunmei kaika), Western culture, from
clothing and architecture, was widely promoted.The previous Shogunate was replacced
by Imeprial system of government.They implemented the constitution which was based
upon European model.Soon, they had their own army serving under the single
nation.Ports were opened to do trade with most countries.After defeating
China,Korea and Russia at war a sense of nationlism spread among people. Also,The
transformation has a lot to do with the past era i.e. Tokugawa era where
significantly less development was done as comapred to rest of the world powers.
Also,The peasents, samurais,and merchants wanted same level of status in society
cause only some of them were rich and most of them were being left out.These
factors drove meiji political transformation.

2. Most of the daimyos suffered cause their land and power were taken from
them.And those who have huge land they were subjected to heeavy taxes.The samurai
class also suffered great disappointment. This new law required every able-bodied
male Japanese citizen, regardless of class, to serve in the millitary.[22] This
monumental law, signifying the beginning of the end for the samurai class,
initially met resistance from both the peasant and warrior alike. The peasant class
interpreted the term for military service, ketsu-eki (blood tax) literally, and
attempted to avoid service by any means necessary.The samurai were generally
resentful of the new, western-style military and at first, refused to stand in
formation with the peasant class.
After the reformation,the general public was living more happily than ever
before.Children went to school.Markets flourished acroos the country.Bascically,
whole nation was thriving at that time.Highways were build, houses were sprawling
and all the other infrastructure was developing.So ,people were happy about
that.Techonlogy, Education and Medicine were brought into country through many
foreign experts and students were sent to europe to learn those things too.