A Perspective for Japan

Japanese intellectual of the late nineteenth century, with particular reference to his attempt to
develop a theory of civilization. For him, the civilizational approach was a framework for reflection on Japan’s situation in the world after the great changes of the 1850s and 1860s. He saw the
preservation of national independence and the reform of Japanese society as primary goals, but
they necessitated extensive learning from the experience and achievements of more advanced
societies, especially those of Western Europe and the United States. However, he did not advocate
a purely imitative Westernization. Japan’s distinctive identity and autonomous international stance
were to be maintained. To clarify the reasons for transforming Japan in light of Western models
without capitulating to them, he outlined an evolutionary conception of social change, understood
in terms of an advance towards civilization. That kind of progress was not only a matter of technical and organizational development; it also involved the mobilization of whole peoples. On this
basis, Fukuzawa articulated a more democratic vision of Japan’s future than the road subsequently
taken by the Meiji government.