oduce the civilization of the West in building the new culture of Japan, and to accomplish this the government encouraged the study of foreign languages, inviting foreigners as teachers and sending students abroad for study. Foreign books on certain subjects were translated and published. The prevailing social and political idea was an Anglo-American liberalism, and this made a strong contrast to the conservative idea that had prevailed in feudal society, leading to antagonism between the old and new ideas. The government was faced with the need to destroy the old in order to build the new (Keizo, 1958, 59).
The Meiji period was the beginning of the development of economic life in Japan at a rapid pace. The period was also a time of military buildup, and this buildup has been seen as the major contribution to building the technological foundation form the successful industrialization to follow. This has been suggested by Yamamura, who holds that the "strong army" policy was the principle motivation for creating and expandin
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