How and why did Japan struggle for identity during and after the meiji era? and how successful they were?

After the visits of the US mission of commodore M. Perry in 1853-1854, the Japanese elites realized that Japan had become backward and that it had to reform quickly in order to avoid shairing the fate of China or other Asian countries that had turned into European colonies. They decided to launch a process of modernization and quickly catch up with the West. That was the prevailing idea at the start of the Meiji era. However, quick modernization was accompanied with the determination to retain the most important elements of Japanese culture and character. Actually, along its road to becoming one of the most advanced nations of the planet, Japan has striven to strike a balance between assimilation of foreign influences and keeping the distinctive features of Japaneseness. By 1895, Japan had entered the exclusive club of the global great powers by decisively defeating China, and in 1905 it was the turn of Russia. The Meiji reforms were undoubtedly successful, achieving the goals of fast modernization and industrialization set at the beginning, but retaining the key elements of Japanese culture and identity.