Philippines, Japan, Java

The Fates of Human Societies

I just got back from visiting the Philippines and Japan.  I've spent years in the Philippines, and the better part of a lifetime being in touch with Filipino people.  This was my first time in Japan, and only for 4 days.  Why did Japan create and maintain a strong national identity and independence and quickly adopt advanced technology, while countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia were subject to colonial domination and were slower to adopt advanced technology?  Here are some thoughts on this question.

Size and Population Density

Japan developed more quickly due to the fact that its few islands are large and close together.  The Philippines, by contrast, consists of dozens of large, inhabited islands that evolved independently (with separate languages, for example) before the Spanish arrived and proclaimed them to be a single country named after Philip II of Spain. 

Fringe vs Crossroads

Japan, like Great Britain on the other side of Eurasia, is close enough to major Eurasian centers of civilization to acquire advanced technologies as they became available, yet on the fringe and somewhat protected from conquest by the ocean.

Though, like Japan, Java supports a dense population on an island off the coast of Asia, Java was invaded by Hindus, Arabs, and then Europeans, never consolidating a single national identity until modern times (~ 1945).

North vs South

As discussed by Jared Diamond in Guns, Germs, and Steel, certain fundamental agricultural developments more easily spread within temperate as opposed to tropical climates.  Human societal evolution has probably been affected by other factors, with details beyond my knowledge, related to geographical area that may have led to the formation of stronger military and technology development in Japan.

Development

In this age of globalized economies (especially among English speaking countries like the Philippines) combined with advanced shipping and wireless communications (TV, Internet, etc), the Philippine islands are quickly attaining a cohesive national identity.