Vocabulary

attain divine enlightenment; perceive absolute truth; experience spiritual awakening

mass (labor) negotiation; mass bargaining session; public negotiation

(adopting) a popular line; (taking) a populist line

promulgation of an Imperial rescript

feelings toward other people; sensitivity to other people's feelings; feelings one gives to other people through interpersonal relationships

royal treatment; entertain someone extravagantly

shout with a loud voice; fulminate; vociferate

conformism; following the crowd; swimming with the tide; me-tooism

restoring the declining fortunes; recovering from the discouraging situation; reversing the downward trend

opponent; adversary; the competition; the other side; one's enemy

bold and clever; daring and ingenious; audacious and masterly

bold and unrestrained; daring and unfettered

street (soapbox) oratory; stump oratory

a non-samurai being granted the privilege of wearing a sword (during the Edo period)

attitude and demeanor

the area (of Japan) where typhoons frequently pass; the typhoon Ginza

equal relationship; (being on an) equal footing

austerity budget; belt-tightening budget

Japanese adventurer (from the Meiji era to the end of WWII) who roamed mainland China and other parts of Asia, engaging in political activities, espionage, smuggling, etc.

conflicting (opposite, contrasting) opinion; antagonistic view

the exact opposite concept (idea); the antithesis

feeling of antipathy (rivalry); antagonistic sentiment

impoverishment of fishermen because of a bumper catch; decline in fishermen's income caused by the sharply lower fish prices as a result of an overabundant catch

trial of strength; test of one's strength (stamina)

policy of using dialogue instead of confrontation

wide-ranging and diverse; multifarious

multiple-choice question

after-dinner speech; speech made at a dinner (luncheon)

versatile; multi-talented

tactics of fighting a technologically advanced adversary with primitive weapons; sole reliance on simple determination (naive spiritualism) in fighting an overwhelming foe

wide-ranging and diverse; multifarious

aberration; aberrant behavior; eccentric (erratic) behavior; indulging in an escapade

non-prescription glasses (worn as a fashion accessory); fake glasses; lensless glasses

nuisance (annoyance, inconvenience) to people around one; social nuisance

debasement; corruption; degradation

the babyboomers; the baby boom generation

hail of bullets; heavy bombardment

plain and simple; naive

interpreting (and using) a passage without regard to its context

male orientation; male-oriented