New wave of japanese reformers are trying to do a crash course in modernization. Most countries that turned out to be colonial victims could have overcome them given time. The maji restoration rulers clearly see that they've got this clock ticking, and so they need a mammoth amount of change,. That's what makes this whole thing a miracle.
The Asia-Pacific War of 1937-1945 has deep roots. It also involves a Japanese society that's been called one of the most distinctive on Earth. If there were a Japanese version of Captain America, this would be his origin story.