Why did Giacomo Puccini decide to adapt Madame Butterfly into an opera?

Giacomo Puccini decided to adapt the play Madame Butterfly into an opera after attending a performance of the one-act play by David Belasco while visiting London in 1900.1

Although Puccini did not understand English, he was deeply moved by the poignancy of the story—which originated from a short story by John Luther Long—concerning a Japanese girl’s tragic love for an American sailor. Captivated by the emotional weight of the narrative, he requested that his publisher, Giulio Ricordi, secure the operatic rights so he could begin work on the project with his frequent collaborators, Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.12