Japan and the Pacific, and a Japanese View of the Eastern Question

The author assesses Japan's strategic and economic position in the North Pacific, arguing that its resources, industrial growth, and maritime location make it central to commercial routes, imperial competition, and British interests, and evaluates how canals and transcontinental railways may alter trade. He warns of Russian expansion eastward via Mongolia and Manchuria and surveys rivalries over islands and colonial influence. The second part traces the Eastern Question through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, outlining Anglo‑Russian rivalry, diplomatic settlements, interventions such as the Greek struggle, and the Crimean War, showing how great‑power diplomacy shaped outcomes in Eastern Europe and Asia.