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Japan – China
The Challenges of Modernizaon
Student: Roy Steine
Number: 312935
Date: April 5th, 2012
Teacher: Dr. Paul D. Scot
Question 1:
Fukuzawa Yukichi, Arao Sei and Miyazaki Toten approached China from different
perspectives. Explain how each viewed Sino-Japanese relations.
There where three very influent people alive during the time of the Meiji revolution.
There names were; Fukuzawa Yukichi, Arao Sei and Miyazaki Toten. They all had a very
different view on China and how to handle there giant neighbour. They wanted to change
China and help it modernize, so it could have a chance against the western imperialists.
Each of them had a very different approach to China.
Fukuzawa Yukichi is a wide known historical figure from Japan. He was born in a low
ranked samurai family in 1835. When he turned 19 years old he started to study
‘Rangaku’ (Dutch studies), which was at that time the only source of information for
western ideas, technologies and the Dutch language. When Japan opened up to other
countries he found out that most European merchants spoke English, so he started
learning that language. He joined a diplomatic mission to the USA in 1860 and later on
worked at the embassy in Europe. During that time he collect a lot of information about
western thinking and culture. He then published his famous work Seiyō Jijō ("Things
western"). He was known as the number one expert in Japan about the western
civilization.
During his life Fukuzawa became more and more pro-western culture and less a fan of
Asian culture. His works were published all through out Japan and some were even used
