WI: Colonization of Japan?

What if, instead of having its ports forced open, Japan was colonized by the most likely candidate Britain?

Could Russia want a piece of Japan (possibly Hokkaido), thus making Anglo-Russian relations even more sour than OTL? Or would they instead try to claim Korea for their own?
 
I don't see how or why Britain would actually colonise Japan, even back then it was a pretty populated and urbanised place, there isn't much space for foreigners to colonise.
As to the usage of colonise I don't like, Japan becoming a "colony" (dammit English) ala India... Well that was pretty much the case IOTL. Better in fact, Britain got all the benefits of an official part of the empire without any of the drawbacks. To make it official...well there you'd have to do some pretty nasty stuff to Japan to get rid of the emperor.

Russia in Hokkaido is a definite possibility. It was a serious worry for the Japanese IOTL.
 
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