Food for Thought

Week 10: Tuesday, March 30

Shortly after the Meji Restoration (1868), the Japanese government sent out a group of politicians and notables to voyage around the world and gather information about the great nations of the West. This group became known as the Iwakura Embassy and spent two years (1871-1873) traveling through the United States before visiting Europe. Questions 3 and 4 deal with excerpts from the embassy's notes concerning Great Britain.

1) According to Akira Iriye in "Japan's Drive to Great-Power Status," in what ways were Japan's accomplishments in the last third of the nineteenth century similar to American achievements?

2) According to Iriye, all nations are unique, but what made Meji Japan different from most other nations?

3) What did Iwakura seem to think were the sources of Britain's power?

4) Iwakura claims the British refer to Japan as the "Britain of the East." Judging from the comments Iwakura has made about Britain (an island nation off the coast of Europe), if Japan truly became a "Britain of the East," what would it look like and what role would it play in Asia?