Seclusion,Japan's Tragedy

Abstract

As a result of the tragic end of World War II, there inevitably has taken place serious self-examination among us Japanese people. We feel within ourselves the development of a new mental attitude, a new outlook on man and the universe a reflection of the current social renovation born of a series of reformatory legislation including the new Constitution. An important aspect of this spiritual transition is that we have in our minds a new and acute consciousness of the difference in character between the Japanese and European mentalities, and that the adoption of things European has become to us the problem of the time. We do not mean by this such superficial issue as the aping of Western, especially American, customs and manners which are swaying society in general. The reception .of the culture and spirit .of the West began about a hundred ~ears ago. ~ince then Japan has been marvelled'at by other countries, because as a new nation of the Western type culture in 1~;ast Asia, she has made such rapid progress. And yet, the Japanese are finding themselves once again engrossed in the adoption of things Western, with more vigor and seriousness than ever. ¥Vhat are the reasons ? One of them is that the Japanese pebple, in response to the changes in the social structure and the shifting of balance of social influences that has resulted from the latest renovation, have begun to take interest in things Western from a different angle and a new mental outlook. But the more important is that today those who fathomed the depths of the Japanese spirit in its realities during the wartime tension and who consequently felt the vital need for serious reflection on it are facing the opportunity to review both the Japanese