Government initiative dominated manufacturing not only in the creation of transportation networks but also in state operation of mines, shipyards, and
metallurgical plants. Scarce capital and the unfamiliarity of new technology seemed to compel state direction, as occurred in Russia at the same time. Government control also helped check the many foreign advisors needed by early Japanese industry: here, Japan maintained closer supervision than its Russian neighbor. Japan established the Ministry of Industry in 1870, and it quickly became one of the key government agencies, setting overall economic policy as well as operating specific sectors. By the 1880s, model shipyards, arsenals, and factories provided experience in new technology and disciplined work systems for many Japanese. Finally, by expanding technical training and education, setting
up banks and post offices, and regularizing commercial laws, the government
provided a structure within which Japan could develop on many fronts. Measures
in this area largely copied established practices in the West, but with adaptation
suitable for Japanese conditions; thus, well before any European university, Tokyo Imperial University had a faculty of agriculture.

Write a body paragraph that addresses the following prompt: Evaluate
the extent to which the Japanese government directed industrialization.