War and National Reinvention : Japan in the Great War, 1914-1919

by Dickinson, Frederick R.

• ISBN13: 9780674005075
• ISBN10: 0674005074
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-02-16
• Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr

Summary

For Japan, as one of the victorious allies, World War I meant territorial gains in China and the Pacific. At the end of the war, however, Japan discovered that in modeling itself on imperial Germany since the nineteenth century, it had perhaps been imitating the wrong national example. Japanese policy debates during World War I, particularly the clash between proponents of greater democratization and those who argued for military expansion, thus became part of the ongoing discussion of national identity among Japanese elites. This study links two sets of concerns--the focus of recent studies of the nation on language, culture, education, and race; and the emphasis of diplomatic history on international developments--to show how political, diplomatic, and cultural concerns work together to shape national identity.

Table of Contents

Illustrations	xi
Preface	xv
Note on Japanese and Chinese Names	xix
Introduction	1	(6)
Imperialism in the Context of National Renovation	7	(26)
Japanese Diplomacy in Isolation	8	(2)
The Primacy of Nation-Building	10	(3)
Korea and Conscription in the Context of National Renovation	13	(1)
Empire and Arms in the Context of National Renovation	14	(3)
Oligarchic Politics in the Context of National Renovation	17	(4)
Renovation on the Model of Imperial Germany	21	(3)
War and the Consolidation of Empire, Arms, and Oligarchic Rule	24	(2)
Peace and the Dissolution of Empire, Arms, and Oligarchic Rule	26	(2)
The Taisho Contest over the Meiji Legacy	28	(3)
Visions of a Taisho Renovation	31	(2)
``Divine Aid'' and the ``Destiny of Japan'': The Great War as Opportunity	33	(51)
World War I and the Quest for Empire	34	(24)
Empire in the Service of Domestic Politics	58	(19)
The Genro Versus Prime Minister Okuma, September 1914	77	(3)
Synopsis	80	(4)
Imperialism in the Service of Democracy: Kato Takaaki and the Twenty-One Demands	84	(33)
The Twenty-One Demands in International Context	85	(8)
The Politics of the Twenty-One Demands	93	(21)
Synopsis	114	(3)
Anticipation a New Order in Asia: Yamagata Aritomo, Tanaka Giichi, and an Autonomous Foreign Policy	117	(37)
The Lingering Influence of Kato Takaaki	119	(4)
The Troublesome Politics of Japan's China Policy	123	(3)
Tanaka Giichi and the Plot for Civil War in China	126	(12)
Yamagata Aritomo and the Quest to Contain the United States	138	(10)
The Politics of the 1916 Russo-Japanese Convention	148	(3)
Synopsis	151	(3)
Last Chance of an Opportune War: Preempting Woodrow Wilson in Asia	154	(50)
General Terauchi Masatake's Quest for National Unity	156	(3)
An Expansive Definition of Japanese Rights in Asia: The Nishihara Loans	159	(5)
The Politics of the Nishihara Loans	164	(11)
America Enters the War	175	(4)
Revolution in Russia	179	(1)
The Opportunity of Intervention in Siberia	180	(10)
The Political Push for a Siberian Expedition	190	(10)
Synopsis	200	(4)
Versailles in the Context of National Renovation: Wilson Arrives in Japan	204	(35)
Versailles and the Challenge of a New World Order	205	(6)
Hara Takashi as Symbol of Political Reform	211	(6)
Hara Takashi as Conservative Reaction to Woodrow Wilson	217	(6)
Hara Takashi, Yamagata Aritomo, and Defensive Preparations for Peace	223	(6)
The Social and Political Effects of Wilson in Japan	229	(3)
The Conservative Battle to Retain the Old Order	232	(3)
Synopsis	235	(4)
Conclusion	239	(20)
Restoring Agency to Japanese Leadership	241	(1)
The Politics of National Reinvention	242	(3)
The Great War in the Context of National Reinvention	245	(2)
The Manchurian Incident in the Context of National Reinvention	247	(9)
Reconceptualizing Japanese Leadership in the Twentieth Century	256	(3)
Epilogue	259	(4)
Reference Matter
Notes	263	(62)
Bibliography	325	(20)
Index	345