The Modern Japanese Asianism Study

It was a very complicated historical process for the creation, development and withering away of Asianism in modern Japan. Different people have different interpretations of the connotations of the concept of Asianism which played different historical roles in different historical periods. Just as Konomi Takeuthi put it, "Diversity is the nature of Asianism " This being said, but if we look at Asianism in the context of the whole modern history of Japan, we will find laws governing it. Non-government idealism and government realism were just like two lines, running parallel at one time while crossing at another. This constituted the history logic for the unharmonious development in modern Japan. Asianism was promoted as non-government idealism. However, later on, ideal Asianism became realistic and expansionist "greater Asianism." Finally, greater Asianism was incorporated into the "Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere" and became part of the ideology for the holy war. Therefore, with its aggression of other parts of Asia, Japan was forgotten as a promoter for Asianism. However, I believe that although Asianism and the "continent policy" of the Japanese government crisscrossed and "reinvigorating Asia" was used as a slogan and tool for implementing the "Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere," it is necessary to strictly differentiate Asianism, greater Asianism and the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere in both concept and connotation. This is the only way to acquire a correct understanding of the logic for historical development of modern Japan.Before modern times, Japan's relationship with the rest of Asia was neither warm nor cold. The Yamato had been trying to aeate a "Japanese-type Chinese order." But as a small marginalized country, Japan could not realize this dream in the presence of the powerful China implementing the "system of receiving tribute from neighboring countries." After the Opium War, on the one hand Japan made a point of "respecting the emperor and resisting foreign enemy" and on the other hand, it learned from Western countries. Thanks to the Meiji Restoration, Japan became "civilized." Its policy of "respecting the emperor and resisting foreign enemy" was replaced by the policy of "respecting the emperor and building the nation." In addition, Japan constantly deviated from its policy of encouraging "Japanese spirit and Western talent" in favor of a policy of encouraging "Western spirit and talent." Building a Western-type "civilized" society thus became a state goal for Japan. However, throughout the course of modern historical development, the main trend in the Japanese society was to resist the "challenging Western forces," "Europeanizationism" and the behavior of currying favor with Europe ( "coordinationism"). The main manifestations were to promote "Asianism" and the "quintessence of the Japanese culture" and advocate the "Showa Restoration" and efforts to go beyond the "modern times" (i.e., Western civilization). Even the Kyoto school which later on would provide the theoretical basis for the "Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere" created the "philosophy of world history" to make Western civilization relative and special, thus negating that European history was of "universal significance" in the world.Although theories of Asianism and greater Asianism and behavior of all sorts included some feudal and nationalist factors and sometimes even included the words and deeds made by Japan to whitewash its aggression of other parts of Asia, theycontained rational parts designed to safeguard the national and traditional culturein Asia, emphasize the inherent values in the East and reverse the decline of the East, which we should pay appropriate attention to and affirm.Asianism was advocated mainly by Japan, and especially by its non-government forces. It appeared as an idealist concept and often came into confrontation with the realistic diplomatic policies of the Japanese government. At the same time, Asianism also experienced quantitative changes in Japan. As time...