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Another reason is when the colonial forces have arrived Japan in the 1860s, Japan had studied how China had fallen to colonial forces and vowed not repeat China’s mistake. The problem is, Japan had studied the tactics of colonial forces so well that they became one.

during japans Isolation of 200 years the Dutch republic was the only European nation that was allowed to trade with them, for the simple reason we didn’t care about ideology and spreading any faith.

The western arrive when Japan was already United under the shogunate.

Every European colonization, differed at the margins, or rather bluntly, was very different to another. Take for example, Spanish colonial rule vs, British colonial rule and its policies on rights, taxations, arms etc. Spanish colonial policy, broadly speaking, forbade arming civilians per say. The British colonies of America were allowed to arm per say. British colonization of India, was not only violent but also subtle on diplomatic terms. As was the French, yet they prefered more control. The list goes on. In the case of Japan, if the question is asked on why, the key issue would be the timing. Mid-1500s, Japan was in turmoil. Western influence was at its height. With entire domains swifting to Christianity. While others chose Dutch weapons in trade for gold. It can be said, perhaps, that there was more Japanese christians in Japan prior to the unification by the Toyotomi clan than there were christians in 1945 Japan. Yet fundamentally, upon the creation of a powerful central force, dictating laws as well as a myriad of other social constructs through military & diplomatic power, christian/western influence abated. 1600s-1700s, Japan enacted a policy of isolationism that prevented Christian/western influence. Christianity was banned. Missionary action that would usually prevail prior to and after western colonization could not occur in Japan, on pain of death. Any Japanese who left the country never could return upon pain of death, with a few marginal historical exceptions. Japan at this point in time contributed 30% of world silver production in the 1600s, and half that in the 1700s. Perhaps colonization could have occured due to this wealth, yet at the time the silver mines of the Americas contributed alot more, wealth in the eyes of the Spanish was probably not a key issue. It should also be noted that Japan, during the end of the Sengoku period had mastered the arts of firearm production, such that they were able to create hundreds of thousands of light arms. Of note, a third of the army of the invasion of Korea were matchlock users. One should also consider, that decades, and centuries of peace does lead to one thing; population. In the 1700s, Japan was ranked as the 5th largest in terms of population, at 27 million. Obviously one can say the British colonization of India with a larger population, would give an indication of the possibility of colonizing Japan. Yet, again, fundamdentally the British did not colonize India in a year or a decade, but a much longer time span. India was divided religiously, politically, as well as economically in the geographical framework. Meanwhile Japan was, unified per say.
1800s: The term Sakoku was said to be first coined in the early 1800s in Japan. Whether there was a similar term within political lexicon of the Tokugawa Shogunate at its inception or throughout its history up until this point, it not really known. Yet it should be known the Japanese did not necessarily just close their doors to the outside world. The island of Dejima, as well as the psuedo-political economic control of the Ryukyu isles by the Shimazu domain, under the behest of the Edo shogunate, as well as the isle of Tsushima acted as both gate keepers as well as stewards of diplomacy and trade. I mean, the Japanese knew about Mathew Perry before he even landed on the shores of Japan, due to Dutch information, they even proposed a treaty with Japan before hand. At this time, Japan had a population of 33 million, and a literacy rate of 40% (80% in urban areas), with a fiat currency in numerous domains, a rice futures market, banking and other financial services and structures, and a armed population perhaps numbering in the lower 3 million. As, by this point, 10% of the population were Samurai. Japan, however, was not unified under a central government per say. The Tokugawa shogunate did not collect taxes from the entirety of the country (just in its holdings and domains, amounting to 40% or so), nor did it command the loyalty of a centralized military force. It perhaps is a great irony that it would be domains that had lost against the Tokugawa clan in the early 1600s, that rose and overthrew them. Yes, I use the term overthrow. Historically, the Meiji restoration was termed as a restoration of imperial rule in the guise of ensuring domestic stability as well as showcasing to the West, a unified, sovereign nation-state that could not be interfered with, thus, colonized. Prior to the restoration, any who contacted Japan, diplomatically, had a nagging issue of who was the sovereign ruler. Whether it was the Tycoon (Shogun) in the eyes of the Korea and Qing, or either the Shogun or Emperor, no one really knew. In fact, we Japanese didn’t know either. It is amusing to note, that Bismark actually had plans to colonize Northern Hokkaido (according to the German archives), if it supported to the remnants political and military forces of the Northern alliance (those left to fight against the Imperial Japanese forces, upon the capitulation of the Tokugawa shogunate). This, however, did not occur. The British had at this time, decided upon an multi-lateral diplomatic action, with the cooperation of all European powers, of not interfering in the civil war/Japanese revolution. Aside from the invasion of Hokkaido by the Imperial forces, in this instance the British supplied the ships, arms and munitions to quell the so-called rebels and not opposing government. Japan really was only ever unified under a central government in 1868. Upon which, it swiftly enacted colonization policies of its own in rapid succession. 1872, terra nullius of Ainu Mosir (Hokkaido). 1879, annexation of the Ryukyu Kingdom. The preceding decades would see colonial policies on education, industry, assimiliation, economic-political and social control within these lands, be incorporated in Korea, Manchuria, China, etc. Mind, the colonization policies of Native extermination, assimiliation and subjugation was, in part taken largely from the West.