ABSTRACT
The preceding chapters have attempted to explore the various factors that made the Japanese in Britain during the inter-war years behave as they did. An underlying distinction of the Japanese, compared to other ethnic groups in Britain, was the large proportion of the elite within the community. From the earliest Japanese presence in Britain up until the 1920s, it was the upper echelons that took leadership of the community and steered it towards their own goals of absorbing the best of British civilisation in order that the Japanese would be viewed with respect and that Japan as a nation would be accepted on an equal footing with the western powers. This dominance of the elite ethos affected the way in which the Japanese achieved integration with the host society. The majority of the expatriate elite were quick to adapt to British customs and behave as ‘British gentlemen’. Engaged in international diplomacy, commerce and banking, they participated as players on the international political, social and economic scene. At the same time, they held enormous pride in being Japanese and remained completely Japanese in identity.
