During the Meiji era, in the second half of the nineteenth century, it became the first Asian country to modernize. It was also the first Asian country to emerge as a world power, defeating Manchu-ruled China and Czarist Russia in separate wars.
在现代历史上，日本在亚洲鹤立鸡群，遥遥领先。在明治时代，十九世纪下半叶，日本成为亚洲第一个现代化国家。它还是亚洲第一个成为世界列强的国家，在战争中打败了清朝和沙皇俄国。二战战败后，日本从废墟中崛起，成为亚洲第一个世界经济强国。