Sino-Japanese Intellectual Connections in the Taisho Period : From the Perspective of Federalism

ZHU LIN (Research Fellow(the University of Tokyo))

It is a great honor to have been unexpectedly chosen to join the long line of recipients of the Pacific Basin Academic Grant. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heart-felt gratitude to the esteemed members of the management and selection committee, as well as the foundation people involved. I am also deeply grateful to my supervising professors, who have provided me their daily and warm guidance. This award was given for my research on “Sino-Japanese Intellectual Connections in the Taisho Period: From the Perspective of Federalism”, which is an extension of my doctoral dissertation. The modern histories of China and Japan are intertwined and easily unraveled. Of particular interest to me were such problems as: how, at the turn of the century when the building of the modern state was considered an urgent issue, the representative intellectuals of both Japan and China positioned the political movements they were witnessing; how they justified their own assertions and recommendations; and how they presented their methodologies for change as well as the desirable form of the state through the reconstruction of historical figures. This research focuses on the “federalism” of modern Japan and China, and analyzes the relation between the historical awareness and the institutional visions of Japan-China contemporaries, such as Naito Konan, Yoshino Sakuzo, Liang Qichao, Zhang Binglin. My objective is to clarify one aspect of the chain of Japan-China thinking during the Taisho period. One feature of this research is undertaking research that utilizes documents from both sides, taking note of Japan-China conceptual circles regarding “federalism” in particular, as well as the conceptual and human exchange between Taisho Japan and the Republic of China, without relying only on one-sided documents from either Japan or China, while referring to leading research achievements. This research refers to “federalism”, which hardly could be considered as having been systematically studied. In the field of Oriental History, it could be considered as not only being able to present a new perspective regarding the understanding of the thinking and actions of intellectuals, but also as providing a new and important implication when considering the problem and meaning of China’s state system and political reform, which even continues to be the center of discussion to this day. I firmly believe that this honor bestowed upon me will be a great encouragement. I will try my best to move forward, and continue producing research results that will be up to your standards. I would like to respectfully request your continued guidance and encouragement.

Profile
Originally from Jiangsu Province, China. Came to Japan in 2005 after graduating from the Japanese language department of Nanjing University, and obtaining her Master’s from the Beijing Center for Japanese Studies,Beijing Foreign Studies University. Finished the doctoral course in the Graduate Schools for Law and Politics of the University of Tokyo, and obtained her Ph.D. in Law in March 2010. From April 2010, is a Research Fellow in the University of Tokyo. Specializing in the History of Asian Political Thought. Publications include”Perceptions of Chinese History and the Future of the Chinese State: The Case of Naito Konan. ” Parts 1 to 5 ,The Journal of the Association of Political and Social Sciences (Kokka Gakkai Zassi) Vol. 123 Nos. 9 and 10 to Vol. 124 Nos. 5 and 6, October 2010 to June 2011. Garnered an excellence award in the 2nd “Yoshino Sakuzo Research Awards” for “Two Perceptions on China: Yoshino Sakuzo and Naito Konan.” in Yoshino Sakuzo Research, No. 7, November 2010.