Why were many of the improvements made during the Meiji Restoration focused on economics and military?

The meiji restoration was a movement to modernize Japan. They consolidated the political and military power to resist foreign meddling. They focused on the economy because for the last few centuries, Japan had been isolated. So they needed to modernize to be on pace with the rest of the world, proving that they weren't like China, ripe for foreign control by Western powers. And look where that has gotten them! Sony, Canon, and a ton of cars (Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan)

The meiji restoration was a movement to modernize Japan