Asianism in Modern Japan and its Tragic Outcome

Since the post-war period, Japan has maintained a close diplomatic relationship with the United States. One of the reasons for this is that Japan's national security depends on the U.S. military through the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, which means that Japan cannot guarantee national stability without the United States. However, after President Trump took office, the Japanese diplomacy gradually began to change, resulting in a more active effort to improve Japan-China relations. In recent years, Japan has been distancing itself from the US and moving in the direction of developing friendships with other Asian neighboring countries. Yet, it is quite demanding to build close relations among East Asian countries due to historical and territorial disputes with China and South Korea. The idea of Asianism in modern Japan can provide valuable clues on how Japan's diplomacy should be addressed. This thesis explores the historical context and international circumstances that gave rise to the concept of Asianism. As the Western powers spread their colonial rule throughout Asia, some Japanese leaders insisted that Japan would cooperate with its Asian neighbors to counter the Western powers after the successful modernization. After all, the idea of Asianism did not spread in Japan after the 20th century. Rather, it was ultimately transformed into a radical ideology that deviated considerably from the early idea of cooperation with neighboring countries. In this thesis, it is assumed that the factors that led to the change to a new form of Asianism, infamously known as the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, were the flawed civilian control in the Meiji Imperial Constitution and the democratization of politics. It describes how Japan became internationally isolated and invaded other countries while taking into account the domestic and international situation to understand the process that led the country to embrace radical Asianism.