WESTERN CULTURE AS A FACTOR IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PHILOSOPHY AND POLITICAL CULTURE IN TAISHO JAPAN

The changes in Japanese philosophy and political culture in the Taisho era (1912-1926) that occurred as a result of the influence of Western intellectual systems are grounded. The evolution from their formal importation to reformulation and rethinking on the basis of their own spiritual tradition is shown. The trends of democratization of socio-political thought and a shift in emphasis to traditional Japanese values are revealed.

“Dead, Shriveled Trees”

The first chapter addresses the proliferation of tuberculosis in textile factories in Meiji and Taishō era Japan. These factories provided the backbone of the nation’s modernization program, but so too were they rife with tuberculosis. This epidemic first affected women, as the workers in these factories were primarily young females, who were seen by many in the government as expendable necessities. There was, therefore, little to no real legal protection for such workers, many of whom would be returned, sick and dying, to their rural homes to infect and affect their villages. These women, many no older than girls, became the cost of modernization.

“Justifying the Liabilities Which Had Been Incurred”

Chapter IV looks at late Meiji and early Taishō era politics as that predicated upon utilitarianism. This political philosophy seeks to ensure that actions are undertaken for the greatest good for the greatest number, leaving out other abstractions of the philosophy. Politician Ōkuma, in addition to straddling the Meiji/Taishō divide, also personified this political philosophy extremely successfully. His utilization of various political players, with or without their full political complicity, served to create a nation that could successfully engage in the moral enterprise. Often, he was joined in his work by his American journalist friend and bulldog, Edward Howard House. It was by Ōkuma’s hand and those of his compatriots that tuberculosis often fell to medical missionary work, rather than government action during this period.