About the “first to industrialize”, it didn’t make sense unless you add “among its neighbors”, because Western countries industrialized before and brought a lot of technology to Japan, especially modern guns and much more after the Meiji restoration from 1868 and the reopening of Japan after 2.5 centuries of isolation under the Edo period.
Yes, the 19th century.
I am providing additional information to your point.
How was OP misleading then?
About the “first to industrialize”, it didn’t make sense unless you add “among its neighbors”, because Western countries industrialized before and brought a lot of technology to Japan, especially modern guns and much more after the Meiji restoration from 1868 and the reopening of Japan after 2.5 centuries of isolation under the Edo period.