BOOK REVIEW | 'China and Japan Facing History' by Ezra F. Vogel | JAPAN Forward
BOOK REVIEW | ‘China and Japan Facing History’ by Ezra F. Vogel
Earl Kinmonth January 30, 2020
When I requested a review copy of this book, I expected something rather similar to Japan As Number One — relatively short, journalistic, and focused on how history impacts on contemporary Japan-China relations. What I received was a 523-page book with a narrative starting in the 7th century.
Because of length constraints, this review will focus on the chapters dealing with the 19th century opening of Japan to the present.
Late 19th and Early 20th Century Relations
The story of 19th century China-Japan relations is largely one of rivalry for control of the Korean peninsula and nearby territory. Vogel’s interpretation is balanced, the narrative lucid. He stresses that Japan modernized more rapidly in both civil and military terms than did China because the Japanese were more open to learning from other countries, and more willing to discard dysfunctional institutions and behavior.
Chapter 5, “Japanese Lessons for a Modernizing China, 1895-1937” (written jointly with Paula S. Harrell), takes up an aspect of China-Japan relations that seems to be largely unknown among non-academics with an interest in either country: many of the most powerful people in early 20th century China studied in Japan, or in Japanese-run schools in China.
After this generation died off in the 1980s, China had essentially no leaders with direct knowledge of Japan. Vogel sees the disappearance of this cohort as a factor in the deterioration of China-Japan relations in the 1990s.
The Colonization of Taiwan and Manchuria
Chapter 6 is a good antidote to common assertions about the “brutality” of Japanese colonization. The Japanese colonization of Taiwan was benevolent in comparison to European colonial regimes, and few Taiwan Chinese harbor ill feelings toward Japan. Some major political figures have even been embarrassingly pro-Japanese, a stark contrast with the Korean case.
Manchuria, although not strictly speaking a colony, was a Japanese-dominated client state, and again relative to European patterns, it was benevolently administered. Chinese from this region hold relatively pro-Japanese views, with some Chinese cities in the region subsidizing the study of Japanese to provide a pool of Japanese-speaking Chinese that will attract Japanese companies.
This largely unknown aspect of Japan in China was brought home to me at a personal level one semester when I was teaching Japanese political history at Waseda University. In one of my lectures I showed slides of various Japanese projects in Manchuria, including the capital that had been constructed on a greenfield site.
Three Chinese women in the class volunteered that they were from Changchun (Shinkyo, or New Capital, as it was named by the Japanese). I asked them what contemporary Chinese in the area thought about Japan and was surprised by their reply. All three agreed that many people thought the region was better off under Japanese control because of the extensive Japanese investment in modern infrastructure, whereas Beijing has allowed the region to become a rustbelt.
Chapter 7, jointly authored with Richard Dyck, is a largely conventional narrative on the lack of coherent political leadership that prevailed in both countries between 1911 and 1937. Once again, Vogel stresses the role of Japanese-educated Chinese. It is one of the singular failures of Japanese policy that it did not make better use of these Chinese.
The Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1945
Chapter 8 should be available in stand-alone form. Vogel deals with issues such as the “Nanjing Massacre” the way they should be dealt with: by citing people who were there and the top scholars who have worked with original sources from this period. That means Hata Ikuhiko, a “conservative” scholar dismissed by contemporary leftists, despite the fact that it was Hata who documented that there had been a massacre and, in so doing, gave the lie to the claims of Nanjing deniers.
Similarly, Vogel cites the German John Rabe, who was in Nanjing during the Japanese military takeover. Rabe was frequently cited by Irish Chang and her book The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II, but only when it suited her convenience. She ignored Rabe’s much lower casualty estimates and his criticism of exaggerated and fanciful claims by Chinese propagandists, claims that Iris Chang blindly accepted and that have become part of the mythology about what happened at Nanjing in 1937.
By simply ignoring Iris Chang, Vogel deserves no small measure of praise. He also deserves praise for noting that the most brutal Japanese tactics in China were quite similar to those the U.S. used in Vietnam.
The Collapse of the Japanese Empire and the Cold War
Chapter 9, covering 1945-1972, has several notable themes beyond the basic narrative of this period. One is the large number of civilian Japanese living abroad in Japanese-controlled areas. Another is the “narrowing of Japanese identity.”
It is hard to find anything written on contemporary Japan that does not trot out clichés about Japanese belief in cultural, ethnic, or even racial homogeneity.
As Vogel points out, such notions are postwar. The Japanese empire was, by definition, multicultural, multi-ethnic, and, with the establishment of Manchuria, multi-racial.
This aspect of Imperial Japan was even enshrined in the Japanese-written constitution of Manchuria and the slogan “Five Races Under One Union.” Taiwanese and Koreans had citizenship in Imperial Japan and could move relatively freely to Japan itself, something not common in European colonial regimes.
This chapter also offers a detailed narrative of how Japan’s China policy was influenced by U.S. policy, then upended by Nixon and Kissinger. This U.S. role has emerged as an issue once again, with mostly leftists pundits questioning the validity of the 1965 Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and South Korea on the grounds that it was an “unequal treaty” because Japan was economically stronger, and because the U.S. pushed Korea into a settlement with Japan for the convenience of the U.S.
The following chapter, “Working Together, 1972-1992,” is a good reminder of how the Chinese leadership of this period were less ideological and more pragmatic than those who followed, at least with regard foreign policy issues.
Vogel draws heavily on his biography, Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China, and again stresses something that is relatively little known outside of specialist circles. Japan provided a high level of direct and indirect aid to China involving factories, technical personnel, and cash grants. Japan also invested in Australia for the benefit of China. This was reparations in fact, if not in name.
During this period there were many Chinese translations of Japanese books, and Japanese films and television programs were popular in China. Compared to the 1990s and afterward, “the years from 1978 to 1992 constituted a golden age of political cooperation, cultural exchange, expanding economic connections, and people-to-people exchanges.” (p. 351)
According to Vogel, despite some friction — such as the 1982 flap caused by bogus reports in the Asahi Shimbun about how Japanese school textbooks were going to treat Japanese military activities in 1930s China — during the 1980s China was closer to Japan than to any other country.
The Deterioration of Sino-Japanese Relations, 1992-2018
Chapter 11 describes the era best known to contemporary pundits who frequently write as though, as a result of the 1930s-1940s legacy, postwar China-Japan relations have always been bad as they are now.
These pundits ignore Japanese attempts at better relations, including the 1992 visit of Emperor Akihito to China in which he explicitly apologized for the period in which “Japan caused the Chinese people to live in dire misery, about which I feel deep regret.” (p. 357) Numerous other expressions of regret, remorse, and apology, several of which Vogel takes up, have also been ignored.
The book documents the degree to which Chinese regimes in this period deliberately fostered anti-Japanese sentiment in the schools through a “Patriotic Education Campaign.” Films focused on real — and alleged — Japanese atrocities.
Vogel observes, “Some of the strongest expressions of anti-Japanese sentiment since the mid-1990s have come not from the elder Chinese generation that had experienced the Japanese occupation but from young people who had received a patriotic education.” (p. 369) Contrary to common assertions about Chinese views of Japan being the natural consequence of Japanese depredations against the Chinese people, they are the result of an explicit Chinese government program that nurtured anti-Japanese sentiment.
In addition to the narrative chapters, the book has a section “Biographies of Key Figures” that lends itself to casual, episodic reading.
Conclusion
I was not particularly taken by Vogel’s Japan as Number One, a more journalistic volume prone to glossing-over structural weaknesses in Japan. I thought that this book might be more of the same, but I ended up rather liking it.
The date of publication means that the Trump impact on U.S.-China-Japan relations is not taken up by Vogel. How this will play out is, of course, impossible to know. Given the volatility of Trump, it may well be for the best that Vogel’s narrative ends where it does.
Finally, it is worth noting that, as of this writing, Ezra Vogel is 89. In his 8th and 9th decades he has produced two major academic works. Many academics fail to produce as much even during their productive peak years. I am one of those academics, but since I am “only” 73, perhaps there is still hope for me.
In any event, this book is a good and worthwhile read, and I hope there will be still more from Ezra Vogel, a casual acquaintance since the 1980s.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: China and Japan Facing History
Author: Ezra F. Vogel
Publisher: Belknap Press of Harvard University, 2019
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Book Review by: Dr. Earl H. Kinmonth
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'China and Japan': Facing off across the aeons, two giants of East Asia
BY NICOLAS GATTIG
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
JUL 27, 2019
Many Japanese, when asked about their Chinese neighbors, will mention boisterous tourists crowding sightseeing spots in Japan or criticize recent military action in the South China Sea. How sadly reductive this view is becomes clear when reading Ezra Vogel’s new book “China and Japan: Facing History.” It’s a sweeping, often fascinating, account of a cultural and geopolitical relationship that Vogel calls “tense, dangerous, deep and complicated.”
A preeminent scholar of East Asia and author of the 1979 classic “Japan as Number One: Lessons for America,” Vogel examines here the major touchstones in the 1,500 years of recorded Sino-Japanese contact. Given the frequent disputes between historians of the two countries, Vogel sees himself as a sympathetic outsider who may further mutual understanding.
“No countries can compare with China and Japan in terms of the length of their historical contact,” Vogel writes in the preface. While the grievances of this contact are well-recorded, Vogel makes clear that both countries have equal reason for gratitude toward one another. Impressively researched and smoothly written, “China and Japan” is a timely reminder of how public perceptions are shaped by political expediency, how new leaders and propaganda can efface existing goodwill.
“The Chinese people have little awareness of the positive side of their relationship with Japan, of how much they benefited from the ‘learn from Japan’ programs after 1895 and the ‘development assistance’ programs after 1978,” writes Vogel.
“They are not fully aware of the generosity of Japanese aid programs in the 1980s and 1990s. They are also not aware of the extent to which Japan has apologized, or how thoroughly the Japanese have renounced militarism and pursued peace.”
The tumultuous relationship between the two countries began in 600, when Empress Suiko, the sovereign of the Yamato clan, sent a diplomatic mission to China, aiming to import cultural elements that would help unify and control larger parts of Japan.
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, Japan borrowed massively from the advanced Chinese civilization, including written characters, Buddhism, literature, music, architecture, philosophy and governmental structures. The exchange flourished until 838, when Japanese regions became stronger and the country’s administration became less centralized.
This cultural debt is seldom mentioned by the Japanese, who seem more comfortable admitting influence from the West. Tracing the two countries over the years, it becomes clear that, for long stretches, these two Asian giants have mostly been rivals.
“Throughout history the Japanese have had a deep sense of the Chinese as proud and arrogant people who demand subordination by other people,” writes Vogel. “Thus, ever since 607 (when the first Japanese monks arrived, to study Buddhism) the Japanese have maintained a reluctance to bow down to the Chinese and a determination to be treated as political equals.”
In the 19th century, Japan’s success in modernizing and its victory in the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95 changed the dynamic. The country became dominant and hubristic, which led to the horrors of the Second Sino-Japanese War between 1937 and 1945.
Positive interactions between the countries last peaked after 1972, following President Nixon’s visit to China, which resumed Sino-American diplomatic relations. The Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka and the Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai — a team of “imaginative problem solvers” in Vogel’s description — signed an agreement that same year to normalize relations and oversaw rapidly expanding business ties. The Chinese wanted to learn management skills to aid their industrialization, looking for pointers on how to balance capitalism and socialism.
As for facing their own history, the Japanese provided generous technical and financial help to China in a spirit of reparations for World War II. A Japanese communique in 1972 stated: “The Japanese side is keenly conscious of the responsibility for the serious damage that Japan caused in the past to the Chinese people through war and deeply reproaches itself.”
Polled in 1978, some 78 percent of Japanese people reported positive feelings toward China. In turn, on a visit to Japan the same year, the Chinese foreign policy leader Deng Xiaoping conceded, “We are a backward country and we need to learn from Japan.”
In the 1990s, when key bridge builders in both countries left office, the relationship deteriorated again. Since then, the disputed ownership of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands has become a symbol of two nations that seem unwilling to become too friendly.
“China and Japan” seems least generous when Vogel looks to the future. In a predictable vein, he holds that reckoning with the past, especially on the Japanese side, is the key to resetting relations. But no explanation follows as to how this would satisfy the Chinese or reap tangible gains for Japan.
In the end, if the two Asian giants choose to reconcile, it may be due to cooperation on China’s Belt and Road initiative or shared interests in facing up to U.S. pressure on trade. History does matter — and Vogel records it masterfully — but the Sino-Japanese reset, fraught as it is, may not be helped by an eye on a complex past.
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Goodreads:
China and Japan: Facing History
by Ezra F. Vogel
4.21 · Rating details · 57 ratings · 13 reviews
One of the world's most eminent scholars of East Asia reveals the important touchstones in the long history between China and Japan and argues that for the sake of world stability they must forge a new relationship for the twenty-first century.
China and Japan have cultural and political connections that stretch back fifteen hundred years. But today their relationship is strained. China's military buildup deeply worries Japan, while Japan's brutal occupation of China in World War II remains an open wound. In recent years less than ten percent of each population had positive feelings toward the other, and both countries insist that the other side must deal openly with its history before relations can improve.
From the sixth century, when the Japanese adopted core elements of Chinese civilization, to the late twentieth century, when China looked to Japan for a path to capitalism, Ezra Vogel's China and Japan examines key turning points in Sino-Japanese history. Throughout much of their past, the two countries maintained deep cultural ties, but China, with its great civilization and resources, had the upper hand. Japan's success in modernizing in the nineteenth century and its victory in the 1895 Sino-Japanese War changed the dynamic, putting Japan in the dominant position. The bitter legacy of World War II has made cooperation difficult, despite efforts to promote trade and, more recently, tourism.
Vogel underscores the need for Japan to offer a thorough apology for the war, but he also urges China to recognize Japan as a potential vital partner in the region. He argues that for the sake of a stable world order, these two Asian giants must reset their relationship, starting with their common interests in environmental protection, disaster relief, global economic development, and scientific research. -----
Hardcover, 536 pages
Published July 30th 2019 by Belknap Press
ISBN0674916573 (ISBN13: 9780674916579)
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Chad Kohalyk
Apr 25, 2020Chad Kohalyk rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: audio, japan, history-politics
Due to its length and breadth, this book can be a bit of a slog to go through. There is no real narrative “through-line” and the analysis is minimal. It is “merely” a chronological catalog of Sino-Japanese relations. I say “merely” in quotes because this still has a ton of value. This book is that plateful of vegetables you should eat! I think it would be a great reference work: if you have a specific topic or era you want to know about, read the chapter to get a basic grounding, and then check ...more
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Rj
Oct 11, 2019Rj rated it it was amazing
Vogel's book is an excellent introduction to the history of interaction between these two Asian powers. While also charting the developments within each country he relates how they also contributed to growth or decline in the other. He charts their political, social, cultural and military relationships as they change over time and how each country impacted the cultural development of the other. An important book for anyone seeking to understand the complicated history of interaction between Chin ...more
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Jeremy
Feb 11, 2020Jeremy rated it it was ok · review of another edition
Shelves: history, asian-history
I really didn't like this book. It's hard to put my finger on exactly why, but something about the writing style I found extremely irritating. To my mind, it reads like it was meant for a very young audience (which would not be interested in the subject matter) or maybe non-fluent English learners (which would be fine, but it should be marketed that way).
The middle chapters were the most interesting, particularly the different paths each nation took during the period starting with the Meiji Restoration and ending with the fall of the Qing. The beginning and end were very boring and slow (note: I finally gave up in Chapter 10, so I can't comment beyond that). Another recent reviewer recommended focusing on Chapters 3-8, and that sounds about right to me.
As noted, I didn't finish -- which is very rare for me, even with books that leave me feeling less than enthusiastic. Some other reviewers seem very enthusiastic, so if you're interested in the subject matter by all means give this book a try. (less)
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Lynn
Feb 06, 2020Lynn rated it it was amazing
Mr. Vogel did a wonderful job laying out 1500 years of pride and shame, in the most peaceful manner, with the most respect for both countries, and truly broad understanding and research. Overall for such a topic, it's clearly structured in time and events. So the reading experience is great and it stikes resonance to me as a Chinese.
However this book, as grand vision as it tries to carry, is oversimplified and naive in some aspects. The solutions are almost too academic to be realistic and practical. And limited by paragraph, many many storylines are too plain to touch readers that are not proactively interested. However this does not lowers the completeness of this masterpiece. I respect Vogel's effort to be neutral about sensitive topics like patriotism education, and caring for the future between these countries.
The younger generation should definitely read it, as only when one has seen vastitude in history can he cherish the spectacular of presence. (less)
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Maria
Jun 08, 2020Maria rated it liked it
Shelves: read-this-month, audio-books, contemporary, history, military, non-fiction, politics
China and Japan share one of the longest histories between nations, good, bad and ugly. And with 1500 years, you can cherry pick, how you approach each other, and what should be emphasized at the current time.
Why I started this book: I am always looking for more information about the history of Asia, and this book looked promising as it was a dual focus book.
Why I finished it: Long and interesting, but hard to keep track of all the statesmen, businessmen and military leaders. With over 1500 years to cover, this history is brisk, broad and shallow. Start here and then learn more elsewhere. (less)
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Rob
Sep 10, 2019Rob rated it it was amazing
This would probably rank as the best history of Japan-China relations, starting from the beginnings of Japan's interactions with the dynasties of the Middle Kingdom and learning from them, to surpassing them in the last 19th century and sending China scrambling to learn from them, to the present day, when it appears China is about to restore the natural centuries-old order in Asia with itself at the top. This work appears less based on primary research by Vogel himself (he admits the earliest classical Chinese documents are beyond his portfolio) but nonetheless contains more information about relations between the two countries than you're likely to find anywhere else. (less)
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Wang
May 05, 2020Wang rated it really liked it
The focus of the book is modern history of both countries, so the book basically skimp on the ancient history, which was a disappointment to me somehow. It's good for beginner, but not exactly what I was looking for. I have to say Vogel is still a very good writer. As he said he is not a historian but rather a sociologist.
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Ross
Jan 29, 2020Ross rated it liked it
Shelves: china, japan
Good summary of the joint history of rations between China and Japan. The pre-modern chapters light but provided a good outline. The chapters on the relationship between the two countries since the Meiji are noteworthy. The post war section gets too little time and the post Tiananmen period is truly disappointing.
Worth a read especially chapters 3 to 8.
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Phillip
Dec 17, 2019Phillip rated it really liked it
Shelves: asia, china, japan, own, politics, pop-current-non-fiction, usa-21st-century-history, united-states-history
4.25 / 5.0
Well balanced treatment of historical relations. Impressed with the amount of pre western discussion. Particularly enjoyed biographies in Appendix. Very informative especially putting current spats into historical context.
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James
Sep 24, 2019James rated it it was amazing
An outstanding work by Vogel one of the “deans” of Chinese /Asian history. From a learning perspective, the most interesting sections of the book dealt with their relations dating back to AD 600 all the way through to the early 19th century and how the Japanese turned to China for many of the social and cultural building blocks. The sections dealing with Manchuria, wars of 1895 and the Nanking massacre onwards are v well addressed and provide an interesting context in how their relations oscillated from lukewarm to cold over the decades. The book provides a solid framework to understanding the issues both countries face as China becomes more powerful. (less)
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Tomas Sivori
Apr 15, 2020Tomas Sivori rated it really liked it
First time reading about the relations between China and Japan and his history.
I like it. A really nice summary of such a long history.
At the end it is very clear the situation of both countries
I recommend it especially for beginners in this topic
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“This elegantly written history of the relationship between East Asia’s two major powers deploys a 1,500-year chronology with a confidence that comes from decades of deep research on the topic, illustrating how influence and power have waxed and waned between the two countries.”―Rana Mitter, Financial Times
“Will become required reading…Vogel delves broadly into Japanese and Chinese societies to urge less acrimony and better mutual understanding…Displays a lifetime of deep engagement with sources in English, Chinese and Japanese…He is one of the few thinkers alive with sufficient traction to speak equally with leaders in both countries as well as people on the street.”―Alexis Dudden, Times Literary Supplement
“For 1,500 years, China and Japan have taken turns as the major Asian power players, shaping each other’s destinies even as they’re often at odds. Vogel traces the nuances.”―New York Times Book Review
“The importance of this book―by one of the great Asian specialists from the U.S. of the modern era―is in alerting what will hopefully be a wide readership to how complex, and crucial, Sino-Japanese relations are, and how any complacency about the two being able to get on easily and unproblematically can be cured by attending to their long, complex and frequently acrimonious history.”―Kerry Brown, Times Higher Education
“Vogel uses the powerful lens of the past to frame contemporary Chinese-Japanese relations…With scholarly care and an eye on contemporary policy, Vogel suggests that over the centuries―across both the imperial and the modern eras―friction has always dominated their relations.”―Sheila A. Smith, Foreign Affairs
“A sweeping, often fascinating, account…Impressively researched and smoothly written, China and Japan is a timely reminder of how public perceptions are shaped by political expediency, how new leaders and propaganda can efface existing goodwill.”―Nicolas Gattig, Japan Times
“Ezra Vogel’s China and Japan is more than just an important, new addition to scholarship. Based on more than half a century of Vogel’s own work, along with that of many others, this masterful book traces the long relationship between China and Japan in a way that favors neither over the other and covers a wide range of social, political, economic, and cultural ties. General readers and scholars alike have much to gain from reading this marvelous and welcome history of the interactions between China and Japan.”―Joshua A. Fogel, author of Articulating the Sinosphere --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
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Robert J. York
5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Diplomatic History
Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2019
Verified Purchase
This would probably rank as the best history of Japan-China relations, starting from the beginnings of Japan's interactions with the dynasties of the Middle Kingdom and learning from them, to surpassing them in the last 19th century and sending China scrambling to learn from them, to the present day, when it appears China is about to restore the natural centuries-old order in Asia with itself at the top. This work appears less based on primary research by Vogel himself (he admits the earliest classical Chinese documents are beyond his portfolio) but nonetheless contains more information about relations between the two countries than you're likely to find anywhere else.
4 people found this helpful
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A. Menon
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of the interactions of Japan and China through history
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2019
Verified Purchase
Political dynamics in Asia are critical to understand in the era of expanding Chinese influence. The rivalries of the South China Sea will likely be of critical importance in the coming decades and the relationship between Japan and China is of utmost importance. China and Japan discusses the historical co-evolution of both countries starting from early Japanese civilization until the present. It spends most time on the period including the Meiji Restoration on through modern times. In reading the book one can get a deeper appreciation of the current frictions as a consequence of the long history, though it is also hard not to find sympathy with one side over the other as Chinese nationalism has been used as a political tool. To understand the dynamics in Asia between China and Japan as a consequence of their history, this book is among the most readable and informative.
The book is split into 12 chapters but the first two cover the archaeological evidence from the first voyages between the two countries. The book quickly moves into the 19th century and discusses Japan's modernization and both the internal and external pressures that were caused by it. China in the 19th century was in decay as its imperial system ossified as it remained completely insular. Japan on the other hand joined in the imperial ambitions that were occurring with Western powers and the author discusses the rivalries created by Japan's presence in Korea and also the first Sino - Japanese war right before the turn of the century. The author discusses the growing frictions that were caused by broad imperialism and in particular Japan's increasing confidence due to its military victories. Japan imperial ambitions grew and it claimed Taiwan and Manchuria as it's territories after defeating China while it was weakened. The author spends time discussing the domestic politics of the time in both nations. Japan in particular was going through an internal upheaval as its warrior class was stripped of its historic titles and the existential crisis created by that led to strong nationalist undercurrents. The growth of militarism in Japan is discussed as a consequence of its regional relative advancement alongside the politics of the samurai class. The author then spends time on the most historically formative years for Japan and China's relationship today, the run up to WWII. China was a poorly governed country and exploited by warlords while it was undergoing a civil war. Japan, a resource poor country exploited China's resources for its industrial engine and there was a growing resentment to their colonialism. With the onset of the war, relationships deteriorated further. The tactics that came from the Manchuko government had strong Japanese nationalist streaks, furthermore any tit for tat escalation of violence was completely disproportionate coming from the Japanese and the height of barbarism came with the rape of Nanjing. That episode has left and irreparable stain on the relationship between the two countries. The author then moves into the post war period when Japan had been decimated by the war, and in atoning for its sins tried to help China industrialize. The author discusses the pragmatic improvement in relationship as China was in need of expertise and Japan was in need of restoring its image as a neighbor. The industrializing of China had quite a bit of dependency on skill transfer from Japan, which the author talks about alongside the moral imperative felt by most of Japan's population to try to right its wrongs of the past. The author ends with the deterioration of relationships as China's strength came to exceed Japan's and the political calculus changed from depending on Japan to considering Japan a potential villain that could help unify support for the party, which claimed to be the party to liberate China of the imperialists, namely Japan. The change in narrative was of course highly self interested, but the consequence was an abrupt change of temperature that has not significantly improved. The author discusses what each side sees as dangerous about each other, the overall Chinese position, from a western point of view, is not credible, it largely uses Japan to flame nationalist sentiments as and when it is useful to do so. Japan on the other hand is seen as a country who has atoned for its past, but is tired of apologizing for events of the past from a previous generation. It is hard not to sympathize.
China and Japan is a good overview of the intertwined history of the two countries. It spans from 600 AD to the present so it discusses a lot, it focuses on 19th century onwards. One learns about how each country modernized, where it took its cues from and how the paths to modernization were fraught with regional conflict. The author also discusses the late industrialization of China and how Japan's involvement was instrumental but now it is somewhat obsolete. The relationship between Japan and China is of utmost importance and to understand it better, this is a great starting point.
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2 people found this helpful
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bamboo paul
5.0 out of 5 stars A history book to reconcile two potential superpowers' accounts of the history
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2019
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An eye-opening piece of work.
Brought up in China, a young Chinese adult like me can solve more than 90% of doubts on issues between China and Japan. The history covered went back to Sui-Tang dynasties to Xi's presidency. To know about Sino-Japanese history quickly, there is nothing else to look to.
This book has provided much detail and "versions" of stories we have heard/been told/never known. As the author puts it, this book is meant to reconcile the versions of history taught in China and in Japan.
For example, it mentioned how Qing tried to keep Korea peninsula in control before collided with Meiji Japan, a history that is only partially told during my middle school.
An impressive amount of knowledge, Chinese, Japanese and Western readers will very likely be drawn to different parts of the narration. But we will all be led to believe and hope a more peaceful and co-prosperous world.
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S Mitra
4.0 out of 5 stars Maps
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2019
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Quite extraordinary that a study such as this dealing with battles, territorial concessions, complex relations between several countries should have not a single map!
4 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Strongly Recommended
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2019
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I think every Chinese or Japanese citizen should read this book to gain a fuller and more accurate account of the history between the two countries
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Toshiyuki T.
5.0 out of 5 stars Minor misspellings of two Japanese names.
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2019
This was a wonderfully thorough book. Professor Vogel bends over backwards to lessen the blight of the terrorism and cruelties by the Japanese especially since 1894 to 1945. Many excuses are given but the basic fact is that the Japanese warriors were not up to par to the ideals of "bushidoism" and they considered foreigners to be beneath contempt.
There were many enlightened "great men" who were true to the human race but they have been short shifted when all of the wartime cruelties are brought forth. There is no tit for tat type of absolution of cruelties. As indicated by several of the sages, the Japanese need to lead exemplary lives and to conduct accordingly.
Most of the dealings with Taiwan from 1894 to 1945 was fine but the Korean situations need to be corrected and resolved. Mutual trust is easily advised but difficult to adhere to when the roots of the differences and silent agonies are present and will never be settled satisfactorily--only "future" behavior will show advancements in understanding that "social contract" of mutual coexistence need to beadhered to at all times.
Minor spelling error of Kido Yoshitaka one of the three major Meiji Restoration heroes (the others are Saigo Takamori and Okubo Toshimichi ) and Osano Kenji (the fixer associated with Tanaka Kakuei) are noted.
In brief: excellent presentation of two nations who have had excellent existence as noted by the "kentoshi" et al and the borrowing of the Chinise writing system and early philosophies. Schisms should be mended.
T. Tanaka
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嘉莉
5.0 out of 5 stars An illustrative account of the long, complicated relationship between China and Japan
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 October 2019
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If China and Japan had Facebook, their relationship status would be perpetually "Complicated". Just like any other meaningful relationship.
I am writing this review after reaching the 12th and final chapter of this book. I'd like to express my gratitude to Prof. Vogel for - once again, laying out a long, complicated subject in detail and committing himself as a neutral reporter to all the historical events.
Our history is not a fairy tale and deserve better treatment than what mainstream media makes of it.
Final remarks: Wished the Japanese and Chinese names of all Japanese and Chinese figures were kept. As a Chinese reader, they carry more meaning than its romanized translations and are thus easier to remember.
谢谢您傅高義先生！
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Gary D. B.
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent new book
Reviewed in Canada on 25 August 2019
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This is to me a very thorough introduction to the long, complex history of China and Japan. Starting around 600 CE and ending in 2018 it does not shrink from suggesting hope and possible solutions to problem areas of the relationship. Notice is also paid to Korea, Taiwan and other neighbours. Many names may be unfamiliar and short biographies of key people follow the main narrative. A map of the region could have been helpful but is not critically absent. Well worth the purchase.
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Amazon カスタマー
5.0 out of 5 stars グローバルな歴史観
Reviewed in Japan on 16 January 2020
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著者がみなさん正にグローバルなユダヤ系の方々で、客観的な判断をされているなと感じました。
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Robert J. York
5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Diplomatic History
Reviewed in the United States on 11 September 2019
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This would probably rank as the best history of Japan-China relations, starting from the beginnings of Japan's interactions with the dynasties of the Middle Kingdom and learning from them, to surpassing them in the last 19th century and sending China scrambling to learn from them, to the present day, when it appears China is about to restore the natural centuries-old order in Asia with itself at the top. This work appears less based on primary research by Vogel himself (he admits the earliest classical Chinese documents are beyond his portfolio) but nonetheless contains more information about relations between the two countries than you're likely to find anywhere else.
4 people found this helpful
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A. Menon
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of the interactions of Japan and China through history
Reviewed in the United States on 28 October 2019
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Political dynamics in Asia are critical to understand in the era of expanding Chinese influence. The rivalries of the South China Sea will likely be of critical importance in the coming decades and the relationship between Japan and China is of utmost importance. China and Japan discusses the historical co-evolution of both countries starting from early Japanese civilization until the present. It spends most time on the period including the Meiji Restoration on through modern times. In reading the book one can get a deeper appreciation of the current frictions as a consequence of the long history, though it is also hard not to find sympathy with one side over the other as Chinese nationalism has been used as a political tool. To understand the dynamics in Asia between China and Japan as a consequence of their history, this book is among the most readable and informative.
The book is split into 12 chapters but the first two cover the archaeological evidence from the first voyages between the two countries. The book quickly moves into the 19th century and discusses Japan's modernization and both the internal and external pressures that were caused by it.
China in the 19th century was in decay as its imperial system ossified as it remained completely insular. Japan on the other hand joined in the imperial ambitions that were occurring with Western powers and the author discusses the rivalries created by Japan's presence in Korea and also the first Sino - Japanese war right before the turn of the century. The author discusses the growing frictions that were caused by broad imperialism and in particular Japan's increasing confidence due to its military victories. Japan imperial ambitions grew and it claimed Taiwan and Manchuria as it's territories after defeating China while it was weakened.
The author spends time discussing the domestic politics of the time in both nations. Japan in particular was going through an internal upheaval as its warrior class was stripped of its historic titles and the existential crisis created by that led to strong nationalist undercurrents. The growth of militarism in Japan is discussed as a consequence of its regional relative advancement alongside the politics of the samurai class. The author then spends time on the most historically formative years for Japan and China's relationship today, the run up to WWII. China was a poorly governed country and exploited by warlords while it was undergoing a civil war. Japan, a resource poor country exploited China's resources for its industrial engine and there was a growing resentment to their colonialism. With the onset of the war, relationships deteriorated further. The tactics that came from the Manchuko government had strong Japanese nationalist streaks, furthermore any tit for tat escalation of violence was completely disproportionate coming from the Japanese and the height of barbarism came with the rape of Nanjing. That episode has left and irreparable stain on the relationship between the two countries.
The author then moves into the post war period when Japan had been decimated by the war, and in atoning for its sins tried to help China industrialize. The author discusses the pragmatic improvement in relationship as China was in need of expertise and Japan was in need of restoring its image as a neighbor. The industrializing of China had quite a bit of dependency on skill transfer from Japan, which the author talks about alongside the moral imperative felt by most of Japan's population to try to right its wrongs of the past.
The author ends with the deterioration of relationships as China's strength came to exceed Japan's and the political calculus changed from depending on Japan to considering Japan a potential villain that could help unify support for the party, which claimed to be the party to liberate China of the imperialists, namely Japan. The change in narrative was of course highly self interested, but the consequence was an abrupt change of temperature that has not significantly improved.
The author discusses what each side sees as dangerous about each other, the overall Chinese position, from a western point of view, is not credible, it largely uses Japan to flame nationalist sentiments as and when it is useful to do so. Japan on the other hand is seen as a country who has atoned for its past, but is tired of apologizing for events of the past from a previous generation. It is hard not to sympathize.
China and Japan is a good overview of the intertwined history of the two countries. It spans from 600 AD to the present so it discusses a lot, it focuses on 19th century onwards. One learns about how each country modernized, where it took its cues from and how the paths to modernization were fraught with regional conflict. The author also discusses the late industrialization of China and how Japan's involvement was instrumental but now it is somewhat obsolete. The relationship between Japan and China is of utmost importance and to understand it better, this is a great starting point.
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bamboo paul
5.0 out of 5 stars A history book to reconcile two potential superpowers' accounts of the history
Reviewed in the United States on 7 November 2019
Verified Purchase
An eye-opening piece of work.
Brought up in China, a young Chinese adult like me can solve more than 90% of doubts on issues between China and Japan. The history covered went back to Sui-Tang dynasties to Xi's presidency. To know about Sino-Japanese history quickly, there is nothing else to look to.
This book has provided much detail and "versions" of stories we have heard/been told/never known. As the author puts it, this book is meant to reconcile the versions of history taught in China and in Japan.
For example, it mentioned how Qing tried to keep Korea peninsula in control before collided with Meiji Japan, a history that is only partially told during my middle school.
An impressive amount of knowledge, Chinese, Japanese and Western readers will very likely be drawn to different parts of the narration. But we will all be led to believe and hope a more peaceful and co-prosperous world.
2 people found this helpful
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Audible
Overall 5 out of 5 stars
Performance 3 out of 5 stars
Story 5 out of 5 stars
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Fan Guo
22-06-2020
A Great Listen
This book should be a prerequisite to gaining an understanding of the current and future relationships between China and Japan. The narrative of Professor Vogel's take on China and Japan's chronicle is reminiscent to Kissinger's On China, with storied commentaries interwoven into detailed historical events. The breadth of Professor Vogel's knowledge is vast, and presented history by displaying the very humanity of both nation's key people through their interpersonal dealings and relationships.
Very much appreciate the narrator's neutral tone, but wish that more effort could be made to pronouncing the names of people and events accurately. Thank you for imparting with us your views on a key part of human history,
Overall 5 out of 5 stars
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Michael Stone
17-06-2020
China & Japan is first rate by a top scholar
insightful and illuminating, just wish Audible would focus more the correct pronunciation of foreign names
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