ABSTRACT

After giving a broad survey on Japan’s identity debate I would now like to review the historical process of the evolution of Japan’s conception of its international role, starting from the arrival of Commander Matthew Perry’s “Black Ships” in 1853. In order to get an overall picture of what role Japan has perceived for itself and how it has been perceived by others, it is necessary to go back some time in history. In many publications on topics related to Japan’s development, its defeat in 1945 is taken as a starting point, but, convenient though this year is as the beginning of a new era, it is not sufficient to the purpose of observing how genuinely Japanese elements have mingled with Western elements. As Perry’s arrival at Japan’s coasts was preceded by over 200 years of national isolation imposed by the Tokugawa regime, taking this year as a starting point seems ideal to the purposes of this historical survey. The opening of the country, imposed from outside though it was, can be seen as the beginning of modern Japanese diplomacy. 1