Indeed, not since Japan rose to world-power status during the reign of the Meiji Emperor (1867-1912) has another non-Western power emerged with such potential to shape the global order. But there is an important difference: Japan’s rise was accompanied by the other Asian civilizations’ decline.
事实上，日本在明治时期（1867—1912年）跻身世界强国之林方才开创了非西方势力参与决定全球秩序的局面。但日本的例子有一个绝大不同点：其崛起伴随着其他亚洲文明的衰落。毕竟，19世纪时，欧洲人已经在亚洲广开殖民地，因此没有哪个亚洲国家可以制约日本。