I was very interested in Professor Takeda's comments about the (racist) treatment of Japanese immigrants in North America, and how that may have shaped the Japanese government's thinking about its quest to gain equal status with Western powers. I've read recently that in the case of Japanese emigrants in British Columbia (Canada), specifically those trying to achieve equal voting rights and freedom from discimination, the Japnaese government's response was rather muted because it didn't want that issue to interfere too much with its relationship with Great Britain. Similarly, I've read that the Japanese public, which learned about these anti-Japanese/anti-Asian attitudes and acts in North America admonished the Japanese overseas communities not to do anything to create problems, and that they were viewed as 'low-class' and not reflecting well on Japan's international image.
