In this task, you are given a question and a context passage. You have to answer the question based on the given passage.
Q: From what specific time in history did the Japanese being empowering themselves?, Context: Under German control, and even before then, Japanese traders and fishermen from time to time visited the Marshall Islands, although contact with the islanders was irregular. After the Meiji Restoration (1868), the Japanese government adopted a policy of turning the Japanese Empire into a great economic and military power in East Asia.
A:
1868