Modern Japanese historical issues

Author: Ikeda Kazuo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Professor Ikeda's academic field of study is Japanese history. What is particularly commendable is that he has consistently adhered to the progressive materialist historical perspective, critiquing the reactionary Imperialist Historical View and the so-called "Freedom Historical View" that has been rampant in recent years. Using a wealth of conclusive historical materials, he accurately explains the history of Japan's social development, particularly exposing the brutal exploitation, plunder, and aggression of Japanese imperialism against China and Korea over the past century. The first volume of this collection, A Concise History of Japan, is a lecture manuscript used by Professor Ikeda when teaching in China. The late historian Zhou Yiliang provided an accurate and concise evaluation in the Preface, recommending it as: "This book can be used as a textbook and also serves as a reference for foreign affairs personnel dealing with Japan." The second volume, Studies on Japanese Imperialism, focuses on exposing Japan's pre-WWII imperialist aggression against Northeast and North China from an economic perspective. Its distinctive feature lies in the extensive use of materials, statistics, and charts, almost all of which are from the Japanese ruling class. With a masterful touch, it subtly highlights the sinister intentions and brutal faces of the aggressors, thereby retracing the immense suffering and hardships inflicted upon the Chinese people. The third volume includes Modern Japan and China, which discusses how modern Japanese imperialism grew and strengthened itself through brutal aggression and plunder of China and Korea, while simultaneously meeting its demise in the resistance of the Chinese, Korean, and Asian people, including the Japanese people themselves. The third volume also features The Modernization of Japan—A Comparative Study with China and the fourth volume, A Comparative Study of the Modernization of China and Japan. These were newly written by the author during China's "Reform and Opening Up" and comprehensive modernization period. The latter is an academic monograph, while the former provides a reader-friendly overview of the main content of the latter. Both compare the "differences and similarities" in the modernization backgrounds of China and Japan from political, economic, cultural, and other perspectives, particularly emphasizing the differences in cultural types and national characteristics between the two countries. They not only hold academic value but also have practical significance for China's current modernization. The fifth volume, Historical Issues of Modern Japan, collects single-authored papers published by the author in recent years, covering major issues in modern Japanese history such as the Meiji Restoration, the Imperial System, the Freedom and People's Rights Movement, and pre-WWII Japan's colonial policies and military authoritarianism. In the article Postwar Textbook Issues, it exposes the deeply ingrained reactionary Imperialist Historical View among the Ministry of Education (MEXT) officials responsible for reviewing textbooks. This demonstrates that Japan's recurring textbook problems are the result of the authorities' inescapable responsibility. These five volumes of the collection include Professor Ikeda's academic works and papers on Japanese history and Sino-Japanese comparative studies, representing a lifetime of dedication and a natural expression of his friendship toward China. I believe the publication of this collection will serve as a reference, inspiration, and impetus for the study of Japanese history in China. Through this collection, readers can understand the history of Japan's social development and the similarities and differences between China and Japan, recognize the aggressive nature of Japanese militarism, and thereby deepen their understanding of the principle of "learning from history and looking toward the future" in China-Japan relations.