During the Meiji Period (1868 - 1912); rapid industrialization and modernization of Japan both allowed and required a massive increase in production and infrastructure. Japan built industries such as shipyards; iron smelters; and spinning mills; which were then sold to well-connected entrepreneurs.

Consequently; domestic companies became consumers of Western technology and applied it to produce items that would be sold cheaply in the international market. With this; industrial zones grew enormously; and there was massive migration to industrializing centers from the countryside. Industrialization additionally went hand in hand with the development of a national railway system and modern communications.