Modern Era
1750-1900
The Ottoman Empire
"The Sick Man of Europe": the term "the sick man of Europe" is given to a European country experiencing a time of economic difficulty. The Ottoman's were falling under the control of European powers and had lost much territory because of wars during the reign of Nicholas I. (See picture below)
CHINA
Taiping Uprising: 1850-1864
Opium Wars: 1838-1842, 1856-1858
Boxer Rebellion: 1899-1901
JAPAN
Famines and Rebellions in Japan: 1830s
Meiji Restoration: 1868
Japan had deliberately limited its contact to the West so that the Dutch could only trade. But by the early 19th century, many countries wanted to trade with Japan, including the US. All were turned away, and even shipwrecked sailors were executed or jailed. It was the United States that had forced the issue by sending Commodore Perry to demand humane treatments for castaways and the opening of trade ports. He was authorized to use force if necessary. He have the Japanese a white flag for surrender in case hostilities should follow. The Japanese wanted to avoid war and so agreed to a series of unequal treaties with various Western powers, even more weakening the power of the shogun. This triggered a brief civil war and by a 1868 led to a political takeover by a group of young samurai from southern Japan. This was known as the Meiji Restoration because the new rulers claimed that they were restoring power to a young 15yr old boy named Meiji, or Enlightened One. Having eliminated the shogunate, the young men made their goals clear- to save Japan from foreign denomination. But they wanted to do it through modernizing Japan from all the things that the West had to offer. This was a big turning point in Japanese history.
Japanese Wars
Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905): The Russo-Japanese War was fought between Russia and Japan over imperial ambitions in Manchuria and Korea. Since the end of the Sino-Japanese War, negotiations between Russia and Japan seemed unrealistic. Through threat of Russian expansion, Japan offered to recognize Manchuria as under Russian dominance in exchange for recognizing Korea as under Japanese influence. Russia refused and this led to war. Russia suffered numerous defeats by Japan, and the war ended with the Treaty of Portsmouth.
After these two wars Japan was established as an actual military competitor in East Asia and was the first Asian state to ever defeat a military power. Through these victories, Japan also gained colonial control over Taiwan, Korea, and a part of Manchuria. To Europeans and Americans, Japan was now an economic, political, and military competitor is Asia.