"According to reports from our embassy in Saint Petersburg, ever since the Far East Conflict broke out, anti-Japanese sentiment among the people of the Russian Empire has continued to surge.
Many within the Tsarist Government advocate taking hardline measures against us. The war faction is growing increasingly aggressive, and the possibility of war cannot be ruled out."
The international community has been remarkably indifferent toward our conflict with the Russians. Aside from the United Kingdom offering verbal support, most countries are simply watching the spectacle.
Inoue Kaoru spoke helplessly.
Ever since the rise of fervent nationalism, being an official in the Japanese Government had become no easy task. The foreign minister responsible for international affairs held nothing less than a hot potato.
When the radical factions among the public looked at an issue, they never used their brains. Whenever they acted, it was always in a rush of blood to the head, with their ambitions wildly outstripping their strength.
Under such circumstances, the foreign minister was often the one left holding the bag—among the public, he was practically the equivalent of a "traitor selling out his country."
It made no difference who took the position. After the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed, Hirobumi Ito, despite being one of its greatest contributors, had nearly been branded a traitorous national villain and punished by Heaven.
Without a truly strong heart, no one could possibly handle such a challenging job.
No matter how resilient he was inside, Inoue Kaoru still felt his scalp go numb in the face of the current international situation.
Against the backdrop of two great powers standing opposed, no matter how many dragon-slaying arts he possessed, there was no room to use them.
Since Japan had cast its lot with the British, it could not expect to gain anything