What reasons can you explain the success of Japan’s modernization in the 19th century?

The successes of Japan can be explained if, for example, it is compared with the neighboring Qing empire:
The personality of the ruler. During the years of reforms in Japan, the active emperor Mutsuhito (1868-1912) ruled, in China, on the contrary, the incompetent empress Tsi Xi sat on the throne and there was little benefit from her.
There was no foreign interference. In the Qing empire, reforms were difficult to carry out due to periodic military conflicts (1840, 1860, 1900) with Great Britain and other countries, and Japan lived in peace.
There were no acute internal problems. In China, the economy was undermined by the opium trade and large-scale uprisings (Taiping, Boxers, and others).
Japan of that time was characterized by catch-up development with an orientation towards advanced countries, for example, Germany. It’s easy enough to develop in an understandable way.