Excerpt from Japan, the Place and the People Thus it will be seen that the Japanese stem, already old and long cultivated, has been sturdy enough to receive and nourish successfully the grafting of Occidental civilisation; and that all the achievements of the last fifty years, precipitate and extraordinary as they may seem, are nothing more than the gradual outcome of deeply implanted ideas and well directed designs. So favoured by Providence in its foundation as well as in its development, the mission of the Japanese Empire must be at once grave and glorious. The present is the age of peace, in aspiration at least, if not in practice. Electricity and steam have almost annihilated space, and the nations of the world have been brought into closest touch with each other. Under these circumstances nothing can be more conducive to the general welfare than the preservation of peace and common accord. This the government and the people of Japan fully realise. They recognise no nobler duty and no surer safeguard against the designs of selfish ambition than the unremitting effort to promote good will and cordial relations with all nations. This they believe is especially true as regards their immediate neighbours, to whom they are always ready to lend a helping hand along the path of progress they themselves are treading. And since none have a more vital interest in all that affects the welfare of the Orient than theirs, they do not apprehend that this sentiment will not be misunderstood, or that due weight will not be accorded to Japan's unique position and just aspirations. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.