<P> The arrival in 1853 of a fleet of American ships commanded by Commodore Matthew C. Perry threw Japan into turmoil . The US government aimed to end Japan's isolationist policies . The shogunate had no defense against Perry's gunboats and had to agree to his demands that American ships be permitted to acquire provisions and trade at Japanese ports . The US, Great Britain, Russia, and other Western powers imposed what became known as "unequal treaties" on Japan which stipulated that Japan must allow citizens of these countries to visit or reside on Japanese territory and must not levy tariffs on their imports or try them in Japanese courts . </P> <P> The shogunate's failure to oppose the Western powers angered many Japanese, particularly those of the southern domains of Chōshū and Satsuma . Many samurai there, inspired by the nationalist doctrines of the kokugaku school, adopted the slogan of sonnō jōi ("revere the Emperor, expel the barbarians"). The two domains then went on to form an alliance . In August 1866, soon after becoming shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, struggled to maintain power as civil unrest continued . In November 1867, Yoshinobu officially tendered his resignation to the Emperor and he formally stepped down ten days later . The Chōshū and Satsuma domains in 1868 convinced the young Emperor Meiji and his advisors to issue a rescript calling for an end to the Tokugawa shogunate . The armies of Chōshū and Satsuma soon marched on Edo and the ensuing Boshin War led to the eventual fall of the shogunate . </P> <P> The Emperor was restored to nominal supreme power, and in 1869, the imperial family moved to Edo, which was renamed Tokyo ("eastern capital"). However, the most powerful men in the government were former samurai from Chōshū and Satsuma rather than the Emperor, who was fifteen in 1868 . These men, known as the Meiji oligarchs, oversaw the dramatic changes Japan would experience during this period . The leaders of the Meiji government, who are regarded as some of the most successful statesmen in human history, desired Japan to become a modern nation - state that could stand equal to the Western imperialist powers . Among them were Ōkubo Toshimichi and Saigō Takamori from Satsuma, as well as Kido Takayoshi, Ito Hirobumi, and Yamagata Aritomo from Chōshū . </P> <P> The Meiji government abolished the Neo-Confucian class structure, and replaced the feudal domains of the daimyōs with prefectures . It instituted comprehensive tax reform and lifted the ban on Christianity . Major government priorities included the introduction of railways, telegraph lines, and a universal education system . </P>

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