DBWI: Which other countries could pull a Radama modernization?

I have just returned from a trip to Madgascar, including Kilimanjaro National Park, the two capitals, and Morgabim(1). It made me think about what Afro-Asian imperialism would be like if Madagascar hadn't rapidly modernized under Radama I and II. It seems that Madagascar was uniquely positioned as ancillary to European colonial interests, and also in possessing more industrial resources than even Britain.

What countries would take the place of the Malagasy Empire in Eastern Africa, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific? And is any other African or Asian region/country capable of so rapidly incorporating European science, technology and ideology and modernizing into it's own empire? What non-European cultural production could be as widespread as much-beloved Malagasy fanentanana(2)?

1. OTL Réunion, here a Malagasy transliteration of the Arabic.
2. Malagasy animation.
 
Japan was also poised for such modernization, as Western thinking was not first acquired during the 19th century, but had slowly crept into the country since the start of the Sakoku policy with "Dutch learning". Unfortunately, though, I doubt Japan could have gone through the necessary leadership change to resist imperialism and pull off a Radama modernization, though it would be interesting if it did. Would Japan want colonies? Though I doubt they'd be able to get Ezo or Korea, with their being important ice-free destinations for Russia, who would undoubtedly defeat Japan in any military conflict, regardless of Westernization of industrialization.

Another likely candidate is Korea. Korea, though, faces a similar problem as Japan: leadership incapable of producing such rapid Westernization of the country. Having Qing China, fairly backwards itself, as a suzerain does nothing but hurt potential either.
 
That's an interesting question. I've seen a lot of discussion along those lines.

Some argue for China, having the Qing abolished or strengthened and get a huge industrial capacity going. I don't give my for that theory myself. Even assuming the chaos of civil war stopped how would you reform/abolish the messy Chinese imperial bureaucracy? It'd take a change of government so extreme it borders on ASB - there was this one novel, deservedly panned by serious historians, where China goes Syndicalist(!) and pull a mass of market reforms (!!!) And they end up among the 10th largest world economies by the 2000s (!!!!!!!!!)
 
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