Since the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war in 1894, Japan has pursued a consistent career of imperialism, with quite extraordinary success.  The nature and fruits of that career I shall consider in the next two chapters.  For the time being, it has arrested whatever tendency existed towards the development of democracy; the Diet is quite as unimportant as the English Parliament was in the time of the Tudors.  Whether the present system will continue for a long time, it is impossible to guess.  An unsuccessful foreign war would probably destroy not only the existing system, but the whole unity and morale of the nation; I do not believe that Japan would be as firm in defeat as Germany has proved to be.  Diplomatic failure, without war, would probably produce a more Liberal regime, without revolution.  There is, however, one very explosive element in Japan, and that is industrialism.  It is impossible for Japan to be a Great Power without developing her industry, and in fact everything possible is done to increase Japanese manufactures.  Moreover, industry is required to absorb the growing population, which cannot emigrate to English-speaking regions, and will not emigrate to the mainland of Asia because Chinese competition is too severe.  Therefore the only way to support a larger population is to absorb it into industrialism, manufacturing goods for export as a means of purchasing food abroad.  Industrialism in Japan requires control of China, because Japan contains hardly any of the raw materials of industry, and cannot obtain them sufficiently cheaply or securely in open competition with America and Europe.  Also dependence upon imported food requires a strong navy.  Thus the motives for imperialism and navalism in Japan are very similar to those that have prevailed in England.  But this policy requires high taxation, while successful competition in neutral markets requires—­or rather, is thought to require—­starvation wages and long hours for operatives.  In the cotton industry of Osoka, for example, most of the work is done by girls under fourteen, who work eleven hours a day and got, in 1916, an average daily wage of 5d.[53] Labour organization is in its infancy, and so is Socialism;[54] but both are certain to spread if the number of industrial workers increases without a very marked improvement in hours and wages.  Of course the very rigidity of the Japanese policy, which has given it its strength, makes it incapable of adjusting itself to Socialism and Trade Unionism, which are vigorously persecuted by the Government.  And on the other hand Socialism and Trade Unionism cannot accept Mikado-worship and the whole farrago of myth upon which the Japanese State depends.[55] There is therefore a likelihood, some twenty or thirty years hence—­assuming a peaceful and prosperous development in the meantime—­of a very bitter class conflict between the proletarians on the one side and the employers and bureaucrats on the other.  If this should happen to synchronize with agrarian discontent, it would be impossible to foretell the issue.