ABSTRACT
Japan has progressed at such a pace that she has overtaken the advanced countries of Europe. The Portuguese introduced into Japan their trade and their religion. The Portuguese soon began to make a very profitable trade, consisting of buying goods in Japan and selling them in China and buying in China and selling in Japan. All merchandise had to be sold at fixed prices, and then only to officially licensed merchants from specially designated areas. Recognizing the hate the Japanese authorities had for the missionaries, the Portuguese tradesmen tried to separate trade from religion. Hideomi Tuge, a scientific historian, wrote that the introduction of firearms in 1543 marked the beginning of the second period of scientific history in Japan; Seiko Arima says that the introduction of the arquebus marked the opening of a new era. Japanese progress is mainly due to Japanese intelligence, a strong will to work, creativity and imagination.
