ABSTRACT
Starting to write this essay I must admit that at first I was puzzled by the title
of the JAWS Conference taking place in Hong Kong. What had the orga-
nizers in mind when they decided on the general topic ‘East Meets West’ for
a conference located in China (West ?) and dedicated to Japanese studies
(East?)? Different interpretations could be found, but for my own topic I
chose to concentrate on Japanese relations with neighbouring countries in
Asia through the examination of a particular phenomenon. After all, this
choice offers a kind of Asian version, in other words a more local one, of the East-West confrontation! Going quickly through it will help to raise
several questions concerning the East-West dichotomy.
