Why does Japan drive on the left, even though they have never been a part of the British Empire?

Question

Why does Japan drive on the left, even though they have never been a part of the British Empire?

In: 9363

Answer 1

The Japanese are actually kind of…adopted children of the British Empire, in that the Brits were actually a really big influence on the Japanese during the Meiji Restoration and the rapid industrialization of the country. The Brits also were a major ally of the Japanese during their formative Imperial years (particularly during WW1), to the point that the war planners in Washington assumed that WW2 would pit the United States against both the British and Japanese empires at once for control of the Atlantic and Pacific.

Point being; the Japanese got a lot of influence from the Brits, so it’s not unexpected for them to have picked up some British customs along the way.