ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses Asianism, as posed by Takeuchi Yoshimi (1910–1977), a doyen in Chinese literature and an influential literary critic in Japan. Seeking to explore the significance and actuality of his writings of this genre, this chapter intends to provide an overview of Japanese discourse on Asianism.
Takeuchi’s intellectual engagement as a critic started before the outbreak of World War II and proceeded until the postwar era. In his various intellectual endeavors, the relationship between Japan and Asia in modern times had been a core issue concerning him. Takeuchi argued that both Japan and her Asian neighbors should appreciate their subjectivity and seek to establish a relationship from the perspective of Asianism. By doing so, Takeuchi criticized the Japanese government’s policy of modernization following the Western model.
Takeuchi’s contemplations on Asianism were deeply associated with Japan’s public attitude towards war responsibility and Japan’s understanding of its past. In his view, focusing on the history of Japan’s relation to Asia since the Meiji-era could provide us prospects for the future. This practical concern urged him to confront the complicated relationship between “aggression” and “connection.” His analysis of Asianism bridges Japan’s intellectual sphere of the wartime and postwar period and, at the same time, functions as the starting point of almost all successive discussions on Asianism in Japan.
Takeuchi’s writings on Asianism were primarily accomplished during the Cold War and, therefore, were coined by their contemporary political environment. Conversely, these writings—as open texts that continuously pose new questions—remain relevant and still attract readers. Indeed, Takeuchi’s view on Asianism had an apparent nationalistic tinge. Nevertheless, they cast new light on Transnational Asian regionalism and provide a critical viewpoint on the globalized modern “rootless nationalism.”
