Abstract
TEN years ago, after the conclusion of the war between Japan and China, it was remarked that the sound of the Japanese cannon at the mouth of the Yalu River awoke the nations of the world to the fact that a new Power had arisen in the Far East which in future would require to be taken into account when any political problems arose. It is, of course, recognised by all who know modern Japan that the most important factor in the making of new Japan has been the applications of science to the arts both of peace and war. Without these, even the spirit of the samurai would have been as powerless before the attacks of Western Powers armed with all the latest warlike appliances, as were the dervishes at the battle of Omdurman. Spectators speak with admiration of the bravery of these men and with pity that their lives were thrown away in a vain resistance. Without the help of science and its applications it is very certain that, before this time, Japan would have been overrun by a European Power after immense slaughter, for the last man would have died, fighting with his primitive weapons, rather than recognise a foreign domination.
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Why Japan is Victorious . Nature 72, 128–129 (1905). https://doi.org/10.1038/072128a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/072128a0