Emperor Meiji (明治天皇, the 122nd Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, who reigned 1867 to 1912), presided over a time of rapid change in the Empire of Japan, as the nation quickly changed from an isolationist feudal state to a capitalist and imperial world power, characterized by the Japanese industrial revolution.
 
From him comes this Tanka (短歌, “short poem”)
 
In my garden,
Side by side,
Native plants, foreign plants,
Growing together.
 
This, one might guess, refers to openness to foreign ideas for a country which had been cut off from the rest of the world for centuries.
 
Fear of Japanese knotweed which strangles other plants is ‘xenophobic’, says environmental expert | Daily Mail Online
 
            Mr Pearce is set to give a talk at the Edinburgh Science Festival arguing that foreign animals are being ‘demonised’. Grey squirrels, introduced to Britain in the 19th century, have wiped out large numbers of native red squirrels because they carry a pox which is harmless to them but deadly to reds.

            But Mr Pearce said whether British squirrels were grey or red made no difference to the natural world. Speaking ahead of his talk on Thursday, he said: ‘If you look at the language used to describe these “invasive species”, it is very xenophobic and suggests that anything foreign is bad. It is terrifyingly similar to the language which can be used about immigrants invading the country.’

            (Biography: Fred Pearce - Wikipedia)

It’s not just squirrels either.  The Spanish bluebell Hyacinthoides hispanica was introduced in the United Kingdom. Since then, it has hybridised frequently with the native common bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta and the resulting hybrids are regarded as invasive. The resulting hybrid Hyacinthoides × massartiana and the Spanish bluebell both produce highly fertile seed but it is generally the hybrid that invades areas of the native common bluebell. This has caused the common bluebell to be viewed as a threatened species.

Animals, plants, and fungi as well:

Origins of amphibian-killing fungus uncovered - BBC News

            A deadly fungus that has ravaged amphibian populations worldwide probably originated in East Asia, new research suggests.

            A study in Science journal supports an idea that the pet trade helped spread killer strains of the chytrid fungus around the globe.

The television programme Border Security: Australia’s Front Line shows the lengths to which the Australians go to to prevent the introduction of invasive species.  Uncertified foods, and even dried and preserved specimens are destroyed to prevent the introduction of pathogens and parasites.

And not without reason.  Here is an invasive species, animal this time, that has the potential to put the others mentioned above in the shade:

Why are armyworms attacking Africa’s crops? - BBC News

The answer is that they are American Fall Armyworms, which are much more aggressive than the indigenous African armyworms.  Their favourite food is corn, a staple over much of Africa.

And according to this article, Fall Army Worm: On the march to Britain, the deadly pest that devastated swathes of Africa, America’s chief defence against it is genetically modified crops.  Alas,

            ... all sub-Saharan African states, with the exception of South Africa, presently ban the planting of transgenic crops after a highly effective pressure campaign from European lobby groups opposed to genetic crop engineering.