1 Nobutaka Otobe Department of Political Science Johns Hopkins University Office hours and location: Thursday 2-4pm, Dunning 411

191. 359: and Thought in Modern

Wednesday 3pm-5:30pm, Krieger 300

Course Description:

In a non-Western country that had been rapidly accumulating Western ideas and institutions, Japanese thinkers were troubled by the tension and conflict among the “Japanese” tradition, the “Asian” tradition, and the “modern West” (as for them, being modern meant being Western). For example, being loyal to “Japanese” identity means to take a distance from the “modern West” as well as differentiating Japan from the rest of . In this course, we examine how this internal conflict affected politics and thought, focusing on three crucial periods in modern Japanese history: 1) from the restoration (1867) to the (first) Sino- Japanese war (1895), the period that starts with modernization and ends with the acquisition of the first colony (Taiwan); 2) from the Manchurian Incident (1931) to the end of WWII (1945), the period of the invasion into Asia under the name of “Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” and what they called the “War against the West”; 3) the post-WWII period (1945-), the time of (re-)modernization and democratization under American initiative.

Examining the Japanese thinkers around WWII, this course works alongside two fronts; Japan’s self- narrative between the “West” and “Asia” behind East Asian politics, and the cross-cultural encounter between the “West” and “non-West.” Working on these two fronts will give us insights relevant to some of the most critical issues in politics. For example, in terms of East-Asian politics, we will see how Japanese self-narrative vis-à-vis the “West” and “Asia” affects the recent conflicts over the memory and responsibility of WWII. Also, the history of modern Japanese identity will offer a good case to understand the cultural and political conflicts over modernization in the name of “Globalization” or “Americanization,” the conflicts still going on in current world politics.

Prerequisites: Prior experience of courses either in East Asian politics or in East Asian history is preferred, but not necessary.

Required Books:

Naoki Sakai, Translation and Subjectivity: On Japan and Cultural , University of Minnesota Press, 1997.

Yoshimi Takeuchi, What is : Writings of Takeuchi Yoshimi, Richard Calichman ed. and trans., Columbia UP, 2004..

Ian Buruma, Inventing Japan: 1853-1964, Modern Library, 2004.

Yukio Mishima, Patriotism, New Directions Publishing, 1966. 2 *Other assigned materials are available through JHU network or Library’s reserve. The password for electronic reserve is oto359.

Recommended Books:

Fred Dallmayr, Beyond : Essays on Cross-Cultural Encounter, SUNY Press, 1996.

Richard Calichman ed. and trans., Overcoming Modernity, Columbia UP, 2008.

Keiji Nishitani, Religion and Nothingness, University of California Press, 1983.

Tetsuo Najita, Japan: The Foundations of Modern Japanese Politics, University of Chicago Press, 1974.

De Barry, Gluck, and Tidemann eds, Sources of Japanese Tradition, second edition, vol. 2, Columbia UP, 2005.

Requirements and Grading:

Four Short Commentaries (25%)

FOUR short commentaries (2-3 pages, double-spaced) on the readings of a particular week. You can choose which ones you wish to write on but do not leave them all to the last three weeks of the class. Try and cover some of the early weeks of the class since that will help discussion. In the commentary, you are to pick up some of the readings of the week (but not solely on Buruma’s book) in order to compare and contrast major themes within them. In addition, a successful commentary will connect these themes with the readings or themes covered in previous weeks, and, when possible, to pose additional questions. Commentary should be submitted by midnight of the day before the class (TUESDAY MIDNIGHT).

Presentation (25%)

Students will be required to give a brief (10 minutes) presentation, based on the main points and themes of the week's readings, to be submitted in writing to me the day before the class. The presentation will summarize the main points of the readings and pose questions, intended for fostering discussion in the class.

Final Paper (40%)

The final paper will be more than 10 pages in length, due during the exam period. In this paper you will pick at least one of the Japanese thinkers taken up in the course, critically assessing his thought in a larger political and/or theoretical perspective. Beyond that, you are free to frame the question and approach. For example, you may compare him with other thinkers or theorists taken up both in and outside this course. Alternatively, you may locate him in a broader historical context. All students are required to meet with me to discuss their chosen topic before the final class.

Participation (10%)

Regular attendance and contribution to class discussions are essential to this seminar course. Participation will be judged in terms of both quality and quantity. Students who miss class, for any reason, will be required to prepare a brief, critical summary of the week's readings (2 pages), due the following week. 3 Notes on Academic Ethics:

The official Ethics Statement: “The Strength of the university depends on academic and personal integrity. In this course, you must be honest and truthful. Ethical violations include cheating on exams, plagiarism, reuse of assignments, improper use of the Internet and electronic devises, unauthorized collaboration, alteration of graded assignments, forgery, and falsification, lying, facilitating academic dishonesty, and unfair competition.” For more information, please see http://ethics.jhu.edu.

Schedule:

Part I: Introduction

Week 1. Japan’s Modernization and her Ambiguous Attitude toward “Asia” and “the West”

The first class will be an introduction to the course. We will also discuss the students’ expectations to the course, the overall requirement of the course, and basic interpretive and argumentative skills.

Week 2. Orientalism, Postcoloniality, and Inter-Cultural Dialogue

Before moving to examination of specific Japanese thinkers, we will learn approaches to the study of non- Western political thought. The texts assigned offer several approaches, while all emphasizing the importance of understanding the burden of Western ideas for non-Westerners.

Reading:

Samuel Huntington, “The Clash of Civilizations?” in Foreign Affairs, Vol. 72, No. 3, 1993, pp. 22-49 [28 pages]: Electronic version is available via Hopkins network.

Fareed Zakaria, “ is Destiny: A Conversation with Lee Kuan Yew,” in Foreign Affairs, Vol. 73, No. 2, 1994, pp. 109-26 [18 pages]: Electronic version is available via Hopkins network.

Fred Dallmayr, “Beyond Monologue: For a Comparative Political Theory,” in Perspectives on Politics, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2004, pp. 249-257 [8 pages]: Electronic version is available via Hopkins network.

Alasdair MacIntyre, “Individual and Social Morality in Japan and the United States: Rival Conceptions of the Self,” in Philosophy East and West, Vol. 40, No. 4 (October 1990), pp. 489-97 [9 pages]: Electronic version is available via Hopkins network.

Carol Breckenridge and Peter van der Veer, “Orientalism and the Postcolonial Predicament,” in Orientalism and the Postcolonial Predicament, Breckenridge and van der Veer eds., University of Pennsylvania Press, 1993 [19pages]

Naoki Sakai, Translation and Subjectivity, Chapter 2 [32 pages]

Recommended Reading:

Edward Said, Orientalism, Vintage, 1979, Introduction and Chapter 1, Section 1 [48pages].

Fred Dallmayr, Beyond Orientalism, Introduction, Chapter 1 & 7 [73 pages]. 4 Week 3. Tokugawa Japan: Politics and Thought in Early Modern Japan

Before examining modern Japanese politics and thought, we will briefly look at Japan before her modernization. The main points here are (1) to understand how they are different from our (modern) conceptions, and (2) to see how some of the characteristics persist through re-interpretations after her modernization.

Reading:

Ian Buruma, Inventing Japan, Chapter 1 [24 pages].

Tetsuo Najita, Japan: The Intellectual Foundations of Modern Japanese Politics, University of Chicago Press, 1974, Chapters 2 & 3 [53 pages].

Harry Harootunian, “The Functions of in Tokugawa Thought,” Akira Iriye ed., The Chinese and the Japanese, Princeton UP, pp. 9-37 [28 pages].

Recommended Reading:

John Fairbank, “A Preliminary Framework,” Fairbank ed., The Chinese World Order, Harvard UP, 1968, pp. 1-19 [20 pages].

Part II: From the Meiji Restoration to the Sino-Japanese War

The first period we examine is the one from 1867 to 1895. During this period, Japan’s modernization/westernization starting from the Meiji restoration (1867) resulted in winning her first large- scale modern warfare, the Sino-Japanese war of 1894-5. This marks a critical point of Japanese history for several reasons: politically, it meant Japan’s emergence as a modern colonial power (Japan acquired her first colonies through the war); culturally, the war appeared to the Japanese as evidence of the supremacy of their westernized state over China, which had been the political and cultural authority until the Meiji restoration. In the following three weeks, we will look at how the contemporary understood modernization and Asia.

Week 4. Yukichi Fukuzawa: Enlightenment through the Modern Western Learning

As a representative figure of Japanese modernization and westernization after the Restoration, we will take up Yukichi Fukuzawa, political thinker, journalist, and educator. While educated in traditional Neo- Confucian school, he later became a harsh critic of Confucianism and a protagonist of Anglo-American contemporary thought. During this week we will examine his basic ideas and discuss how he understood the relationship between “Asia” “Japan” and “the West.”

Reading:

Burma, Inventing Japan, chapter 2 [30 pages].

Albert Claig, “: The Philosophical Foundations of Meiji Nationalism,” Ward ed., Political Development in Modern Japan, Princeton UP, 1968, pp. 99-148 [49 pages]. 5 Fukuzawa Yukichi, An Encouragement of Learning, trans. David Dilworth and Umeyo Hirano, Sophia University Press, Sections 1-3, 6, 7 [33 pages]

De Barry, Gluck, and Tidemann eds, Sources of Japanese Tradition, second edition, vol. 2, Columbia UP, 2005, pp. 698-707[8 pages]

Yukichi Fukuzawa, “Dissociating Asia” (Instructor’s translation).

Week 5: “Pan-Asianism,” Political and Cultural

While the main tendency in the early Meiji society had been westernization, the later Meiji period also saw an emerging tendency against it. This counter-movement, called as “Pan-Asianism,” emphasized Japan’s strong connection with Asia and the importance of traditional culture. During this week we will examine how “Pan-Asianism” defined “Asia” and “Japan” vis-à-vis the “West.”

Reading:

J. Victor Koschmann, “Asianism’s Ambivalent Legacy,” Peter Katztenstein and Shiraishi Takashi eds., Network Power: Japan and Asia, Cornell UP, 1997, pp. 83-110 [28 pages].

De Barry, Gluck, and Tiedmann eds., Sources of Japanese Tradition, Chapter 41 (“Nationalism and Pan- Asianism”), pp. 789-820 (especially, pp. 790-812) [32 pages].

Kakuzo Okakura, The Awakening of Japan, Japan Society, 1921, Chapters 1, 2, 9 & 10 [62 pages].

Sun Yat-sen, The Vital Problem of China, China Cultural Service, 1953, “Preface,” “Pan-Asianism (1924),” iii-xvi, pp. 162-73 [26 pages].

Recommended Reading:

Yasunari Kawabata, “Japan, the Beautiful, and Myself (1968),” in J. T. Rimer and V. C. Gessel eds., The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature: From 1945 to Present, Columbia University, 2007, p. 515-.

Ango Sakaguchi, “A Personal View of Japanese Culture (1943),” in J. T. Rimer and V. C. Gessel eds., The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature: From Restoration to Occupation, 1868-1945, p. 823-

Part III: From the Manchurian Incident to WWII: the “Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” and the “War Against the West”

The second part deals with the period from the Manchurian Incident (1931) until the end of WWII, when Japan accelerated her invasion of Asia that resulted in its total defeat. In contrast to the previous period, the leading tendency of the time was anti-Modernization and anti-West. We will examine how such a contrasting tendency emerged and developed out of modernization.

Week 6: Tetsuro Watsuji

Tetsuro Watsuji is a philosopher and cultural historian. Starting his career from the study on the Western 6 thinkers (Nietzsche and Kierkegaard), he later turned to the study of and ethics. During this week, we will take up his study of cultures, Climate. His evaluation of diversity of cultures seems to anticipate the current focus on multiculturalism. However, some find Watsuji’s description of Japan collectivistic, nationalistic, and even xenophobic. How do cultural diversity and collectivistic attitude relate with each other?

Reading:

Robert Bellah, “Japan’s : Some Reflections on the Work of Watsuji Tetsuro,” in The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 24, No. 4, 1965, pp. 573-94 [22 pages].

Tetsuro Watsuji, Climate, Geoffrey Bownas Trans., Printing Bureau of Japanese Government, 1961, Chapter 1 (“The Basic Principles of the Climate”) and Chapter 3 (“The Distinctive Nature of Monsoon Climate”), pp. 1-18, 119-170 [68 pages].

Sakai, Translation and Subjectivity, Chapter 3 [45 pages].

Recommended Reading:

Buruma, Inventing Japan, Chapter 3 [23 pages].

Week 7: Keiji Nishitani

Keiji Nishitani is a Buddhist philosopher. Like Watsuji, he continuously pursued the reevaluation of non- Western forms of cultural life (for him, especially of Buddhism). These days, many prominent philosophers and political theorists in the West are attracted to his Buddhism-infused philosophy, looking for in his works a role of religion in social and political life and a mode of inter-cultural conversation. During this week we will discuss his view on religion and its relation to politics.

Reading:

Buruma, Inventing Japan, Chapters 4 & 5 [44 pages].

Kenneth Pyle, The Making of Modern Japan, second edition, Houghton Mufflin, 1996, Chapter 11 [26 pages]

Keiji Nishitani, Religion and Nothingness, Jan Van Bragt trans., University of California Press, 1983, Chapter 1 [45 pages].

Dallmayr, Beyond Orientalism, Chapter 8 [25 pages].

Recommended Reading:

Jan Van Bragt, “Translator’s Introduction,” in Religion and Nothingness [20 pages].

Week 8: The “Asian Greater Co-Prosperity Sphere” and “Overcoming Modernity”

Having inquired into his Buddhist philosophy, we will turn next to the other side of Nishitani, the 1943 roundtable about “overcoming modernity.” Many criticize this project as an of Japanese policy during WWII, “Grater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.” How did he come to the idea of “overcoming modernity”? Is the project nothing but a war ideology? 7 Reading:

Richard Calichman trans. and ed., Overcoming Modernity, Columbia UP, “Praface,” Keiji Nishitani, “My Views on Overcoming Modernity”; Tetsutaro Kawakami, “Concluding Remarks to ‘Overcoming Modernity’”; “Roundtable Discussion: Day One”; “Roundtable Discussion; Day Two,” “Symposium Participants,” “Glossary”: vii-xvi, pp. 51-63, 149-223 [81 pages]

Naoki Sakai, Translation and Subjectivity, Chapter 5 (especially pp. 158-170) [25 pages].

Bret W. Davis, “Turns to and From Political Philosophy: The Case of Nishitani Keiji,” in Christopher Goto- Jones ed., Re-politicizing the Kyoto School as Philosophy, Routledge, 2004, pp. 26-46 [20 pages].

Recommended Reading:

Peter Duus, “Japan’s Wartime Empire: Problem and Issues,” Duus, Myers, and Peattie eds., The Japanese Wartime Empire, 1931-1945, Princeton UP, 1996, xi-xlvii.

Tetsuo Najita and Harry Harootunian, “Japan’s Revolt against the West,” Bob T. Wakabayashi ed. Modern Japanese Thought, Cambridge UP, 1998, pp. 207-72.

“Roundtable: The World-Historical Standpoint and Japan.” This is an excerpt from the roundtable discussion published in Chuokoron on 1943, available online at http://www.nanzan- u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/publications/nlarc/pdf/Rude%20awakenings/Chuokoron%20(Nishitani).pdf.

Part IV: The Post-WWII period

After WWII and the demise of Japanese , follows the period of post-war modernization initiated by the American-led allies.

Week 9. : the Post-War

Reading:

Ian Burma, Inventing Japan, Chapter 6 [30 pages].

Masao Maruyama, Thought and Behaviour in Modern Japanese Politics, Oxford UP, 1969, Chapter 1 (“Theory and Psychology of Ultra-Nationalism”) & Chapter 3 (“Thought and Behaviour Patterns of Japan’s Wartime Leaders”) (71 pages). Electronic version is available via Hopkins network: http://name.umdl.umich.edu/HEB02408

Andrew Barshay, The Social Sciences of Modern Japan, University of California Press, 2004, Chapter 7 (“Imagining Democracy in Postwar Japan: Maruyama Masao as a Political Thinker”) [43 pages].

Week 10. Masao Maruyama and : Ambiguous views toward “Japan” and “Asia”

While being an energetic advocate for the modern ideal of democracy, Maruyama was never a simple- minded admirer of the modern West. During this week, we will discuss Maruyama’s view on Japanese and Chinese traditions. Then we will move to examine Maruyama’s contemporary ally and critic, Yoshimi Takeuchi. Takeuchi is a scholar of (especially of ) . Having written most of his works in the postwar period, Takeuchi is known as a strong supporter of Japanese postwar democracy and 8 the Chinese . However, in the wartime period, he affirmed Japan’s war policy, “Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.” What makes him a unique thinker is that he never denied his wartime stance and that he kept reexamining the idea of “overcoming modernity” and “Asianism.” During this class, we will discuss what he thought to be positive possibilities in those prewar ideas.

Reading:

Masao Maruyama, Studies in the Intellectual History of Tokugawa Japan, Princeton University Press, 1974, “Translator’s Preface,” “Introduction to the English Edition,” “Introduction.” Electronic version is available via Hopkins network: http://name.umdl.umich.edu/HEB02409

Eiji Oguma, “The Postwar Intellectuals’ View of ‘Asia’,” in Sven Saaler and J. Victor Koschmann eds., Pan- Asianism in Modern Japanese History, Routledge, 2007 [13 pages].

Yoshimi Takeuchi, "Overcoming Modernity," in What is Modernity?, pp. 103-147 [45 pages]

Recommended Reading:

Leigh Jenco, “’What Does Heaven Ever Say?’” A Methods-Centered Approach to Cross-cultural Engagement,” in American Political Science Review, Vol. 101, No. 4, 2007, pp. 741-55 [15 pages].

Week 11. Yoshimi Takeuchi (2): “Asia as Method”

Inspired by Lu Xun’s novel and the Chinese Revolution, he came to the idea of “Asia as Method.” What does it mean to think of Asia as “Method”? We will discuss this notion in relation with contemporary criticism of Orientalism.

Reading:

Yoshimi Takeuchi, “What is Modernity?,” “Asia as Method,” in What is Modernity?, pp. 53-81, 149-65 [45 pages].

Richard Calichman, "Introduction," What is Modernity?, pp.1-41 [41 pages].

Sakai, Translation and Subjectivity, Chapter 5 [24 pages].

Recommended Reading:

Lu, Xun, “The True Story of Ah Q,” in The Complete Stories of Lu Xun, Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang, trans., Indiana UP, 1981, pp. 66-113 [48 pages].

Week 12. Post-War Economic Growth and Yukio Mishima

Japan during the 1960s experienced rapid economic growth under the LDP party’s stable rule and the US- Japan security treaty. In a sense, this was the time when Japan evolved into its contemporary form. To see the change and persistence of Japanese political thought through the period, we will take up Yukio Mishima, one of the representative novelists in postwar Japan. While seen as a first-rated novelist in the postwar period, Mishima is also known as a fanatic nationalist. Indeed, in 1969 he called for coup d’état, and having found no supporters, committed a scandalous suicide. During this week, we will examine how he judged the postwar society and politics. 9 Reading:

Buruma, Inventing Japan, Chapter 7 [22 pages].

Yukio Mishima, Patriotism.

Film Screening:

Mishima: a Life in Four Chapters (1985)

Week 13. Epilogue: the Legacy of modern Japanese Thought

Having studied modern Japanese politics and thought, we will discuss the legacy of their thought. How is it possible to articulate “non-Western” political thought? Also, do their views on “Asia” and “the West” still resonate in Japan’s intellectual atmosphere?

Reading:

Buruma, Inventing Japan, “Epilogue” [8 pages]

Hiroki Azuma, Otaku: Japan’s Database Animals, University of Minnesota Press, 2009, Introduction [23 pages].

Dallmayr, Beyond Orientalism, Chapter 9 [22 Pages].