This passage is to say that the Meiji Restoration in Japan seems to have changed traditional habits, comprehensively promoted western learning, and the people changed their clothes. Become the same as European countries. However, the Japanese government has a fiscal deficit. It will be over sooner or later.

However, after the Sino-Japanese War, China people realized the role of Meiji Restoration, so Kang Youwei and others advocated political reform after the Sino-Japanese War.

This wrong understanding was proved to be wrong because of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895.