What aspects of the Chinese government and culture did the Japanese adopt?

For many centuries, Japan has borrowed important elements of Chinese culture. The Japanese characters evolved from Chinese characters; Buddhism reached Japan from China via Korea in the 6th-7th century CE, influencing the arts and architecture; China's literature and arts provided models for ancient Japanese culture.

One of the major borrowings has been Confucianism, the political philosophy developed by the Chinese sage Confucius that is concerned with social order and harmony, the official doctrine of the Chinese empire since the times of the Han dynasty. Confucianism was adopted by Japanese elites to consolidate and validate a strict social hierachy. The modern Japanese society, with its respect for social, political and professional hierachies, deep respect for the elders, and commitment to observance of social norms, reveals the enormous influence of Confucianism.