The nation that will insist upon drawing a broad line of distinction between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking by cowards.
-- Sir William Francis Butler
This popular introduction to Japan offers readers an authoritative and up-to-date overview of 2,000 years of Japanese history. Milton W. Meyer's concise explanations of Japanese traditions, religion, history, economics, politics, and relations with the West provide an invaluable aid for understanding contemporary Japanese society and values.