Which of the following political eras in Japan best contextualizes the dramatic increases shown in the charts above?

(A) The Tokugawa Shogunate (B) The Heian Era (C) The Meiji Restoration (D) The Showa EraExplanation: The Meiji Restoration, which began in the late 1800s, was a period of reform in which the previously isolationist Japan began to welcome Western influence and initiate a rapid industrialization process. The charts show a concurrent rise in coal production and number of steamships, illustrating the period of technological and industrial growth that occurred under the Meiji Restoration. Thus, (C) is the best answer.