They had a very similar story arc to us. Descended from ice age survivors, including Neanderthals, they spent centuries fighting each other, successfully repelled the Mongols, conquered their neighbors and even tried their hand at colonialism.

On top of all that is the Meiji Restoration. After centuries of isolation under the Tokugawa ended, the Emperor basically looked at us and decided that was what he wanted for his nation. And so he started hiring tons of European and American consultants to modernize and industrialize his people along Western lines.