ss are superior to Eastern mysticism and stagnant views of circular
             history, but at the same time he hopes to use these ideas to help his fellow Japanese, not merely
             condemn them as Europeans tended to do. "What must we do today? We do not have time to
             wait for the enlightenment of our neighbours so that we can work together toward the
             development of Asia. It is better for us [Japanese people] to leave the ranks of Asian nations
             and cast our lot with civilised nations of the West." This is Yukichi's main idea: Japanese people
             are capable of attaining the power and civilization of the West, but only by adopting Western
             ideas and governement. To the extent which Yukichi advises his countrymen to adopt ideas of
             progress, techonology and democracy he is not eurocentric: these ideas are good ones
             independent of where they originated. Despite this, his overall view of East Asia as a stagnant
             backwater which tends to prevail in his writing smacks of eurocentric bias. Yukichi's bra
             ...