ABSTRACT
The introduction presents our aim of clarifying the relationship between Japan’s reign and transplanted culture, and the development of historical awareness and the cultural construction of present-day communities in Taiwan and Nan’yō Guntō (the Micronesian islands north of the equator except for Guam and the Gilbert Islands). We explain a unique perspective differing from conventional colonialism and decolonisation studies in the following two aspects: (1) On initially colonising Taiwan and Nan’yō Guntō, Japan was marginalised in both pre-modern Chinese civilisation and in modern Western civilisation. The ‘civilising mission’ therefore failed to justify cultural dominance of both regions. (2) After World War II, these regions failed to achieve independence, as both regions were now ruled by new foreign governments. The foreign rulers imposed their own cultural hegemony, replacing that established by Japan, and attempts to harness knowledge and language from that period became major concerns for the new power. Multi-layered foreign governance is a key issue, since experiences in the Japanese period were manipulated, with inhabitants pressured to reorganise their perspectives amidst asymmetric power relationships. Research methodology emphasises detailed living strategies and clarifies a different colonisation process from conventional studies in the field.
