Sakoku (national isolation)

Sakoku was Japan's policy of national isolation that lasted from the early 17th to mid-19th century. It restricted foreign influence by limiting trade and contact primarily to China, Korea, and the Dutch, while banning most Japanese from leaving the country and foreigners from entering. This policy aimed to maintain political stability and cultural integrity by reducing external influences. Sakoku effectively kept Japan isolated for over 200 years, allowing it to develop independently and resist colonization, until the forces of globalization and external pressures led to its reopening in the mid-1800s.