The following is an article by Naoki Hyakuta published at the beginning of the monthly magazine Hanada released on the 26th, titled "The Japanese Conservative Party and Japan, the Land of Miracles'': The origins of the party declaration.
It was really troubling that it arrived on the 28th at my home, where I have a regular subscription.
The following is a continuation of the previous chapter.

What an amazing country!　
Japan's first railroad (between Shimbashi and Yokohama) was built in 1872. 
You may think that it took five years after the Meiji Restoration, but those five years (actually a little more than three years) were very hard times.　
The first year of the Meiji era lasted only two months. 
The Boshin War fought between the government and shogunate forces, ended in June of 1869. 
It was in the 4th year of Meiji (the first abolition of feudal domains) that the feudal lords throughout Japan abolished their domains.　
In the meantime, the domestic political system was not in place, society was in turmoil, the economy was suffering, and international relations and diplomacy were greatly troubled by unequal treaties. 
Considering this, the fact that the railroads were put into operation in only five years is a tremendous feat.　
Again, until the Meiji Restoration, no one in the country had ever seen a railroad, had no large iron products, and had no civil engineering. 
About 90% of the population were peasants, and samurai walked around with swords.　
Needless to say, building a railroad was a significant undertaking. 
First, land for the tracks must be secured. 
Civil engineering is required, and accurate surveying techniques to calculate the difference in elevation of the land are also essential. 
Also, a large amount of iron is needed for the rails.　
A country that previously had no science, technology, engineering, or steel mills could accomplish this in practically only three years during the chaos of the Meiji Restoration. 
I think this is a marvelous achievement.
Moreover, at this time, they even built a bridge across the Tama River (the first bridge was a wooden bridge, but an iron bridge later replaced it).　
Only 17 years later, the Tokaido Line from Shimbashi to Kobe (more than 500 km) was opened. 
Six years later, the first electric railroad ran through Kyoto. 
Amazingly, by that time, a network of railroads had been built almost all over the country. 
What an amazing country!
In the same year that the railroad was built, the Tomioka Silk Mill, now registered as a World Heritage Site, was constructed, and in 1878, the Kamaishi Steel Works, Japan's first modern steel mill, began operation.

Dedication to the Development of the Motherland　
While Japan worked hard to modernize, it also focused on education. 
In 1871, the Ministry of Education was created, and in 1872, the school system was established.
In 1877, the University of Tokyo was established.
Less than ten years after the Edo Period, Japan was transformed into a modern country at a stroke.　
Of course, it took a lot of work.
Many talented young people studied abroad in Germany, France, and England, learned cutting-edge academics and technology, and returned to Japan to Japan to contribute to the development of their homeland.
They were all born in the Edo period.
It was not an era in which it was easy to go abroad as it is today.　
There were no schools to teach foreign languages, teachers, or dictionaries. 
Even in such a harsh environment, these people worked hard to learn languages and absorb various things in modern Western countries.　
They did not do this for their own success or to make money. 
What motivated them was their determination to make Japan a country that could compete with the West.　
These men accomplished the modernization of Japan. 
However, even if there were 100 or 200 such men, this would not be a modern nation at any speed. 
No matter how earnest the government and bureaucracy are, the country will not move. 
It is evident in the African and Asian countries after World War II.　
In other words, the fact that Japan succeeded in modernizing at such a tremendous pace proves that many nameless people were highly talented. 
There is no other country in the world as great as Japan.
However, the world then was in the era of the law of the jungle. 
Western imperialism and hegemony were rampant, and Japan had no choice but to adopt the policy of "Enrich the Country, Strengthen the Armed Forces" to defend itself. 
Otherwise, Japan would have been swallowed up by the Western powers.　
In fact, long before the Meiji Restoration, all of Africa and South America were colonized by the West, and just before the Meiji Restoration, East Asian countries were being swallowed up.
Malaysia became a British territory, Cambodia and Vietnam a French territory, Indonesia a Dutch territory, and the Philippines a Spanish territory (Thailand was left as a buffer zone). 
Even China's territory was being encroached upon by Western countries after the Opium War.
Japan, located in the Far East, was the last country targeted by the Western powers.
When Western countries take over a country, they almost always provoke a civil war in that country.
When the people of a country are supposed to unite to fight a common enemy (the Western powers), the same people fight each other, and the country is torn apart. 
Then, the Western nations with modern weapons arrive and easily dominate the country.
This article continues.