Overcoming Modernity

Ho Tzu Nyen

Two encounters/citation from The Ethical and Historical Character of the East Asian CoProsperity Sphere, a round-table discussion held on the evening of 4 March 1942 at Saami Maruyama, Kyoto by Kōsaka Masaaki, Koyama Iwao, Nishitani Keiji and Suzuki
Shigetaka.

1.
KŌSAKA: This is the point I think that the Chinese have failed to accept. On the subjectof Japan becoming great because it has been able skilfully to adopt the fruits ofEuropean civilization, one might observe that the translation (honyaku) of the ideas ofEuropean culture into Chinese has often been not direct but via a Japanese version ofthe original. Japan has not been troubled by the spiritual/cultural (seishin) gap between
Europe and itself but rather has just set about importing European things in an
uncomplicated manner. At least, that has been the intention. But this radically contrasting
approach to Europe is what decisively distinguishes Japan from China.

NISHITANI: Listening to all this, I have just recalled a conversation I had on my last tripto Europe. At Shanghai, a Filipino boarded ship and we fell into conversation. He was fullof admiration for what Japan has achieved, and declared his hope that the Philippines
might become like this country, saying that his nation had to make more effort to absorb
the products and lessons of Western civilization. At the time I kept my counsel, but I
thought to myself that the problem is more complicated than that. Over the course of its
long history, Japan has fostered a [sober and disciplined] culture, and therefore we havecompleted the apprenticeship of civilization. In other words, well before the arrival ofEuropean civilization on these shores, Japan could boast a highly developed culture,
one animated by an active life force. The Philippines lacks such foundations. Therefore,even if the Philippines absorbed the products of European civilization on a Japanesescale, the results would be very different.

Cited from David Williams, The Philosophy of Japanese Wartime Resistance (New York:Routledge, 2014), 202.
2.
NISHITANI: I would like to say something here even though it is completely off thesubject. I think that the task of constructing a Great East Asian Co-prosperity Sphererequires far more people than Japan’s present population. There are simply not enoughof us. Unless our population reaches 110 million sometime soon, this is not going towork. So we need to turn to the peoples and nations of the Co-prosperity Sphere,
especially those blessed with superior qualities who thus have thepotential to help us

build our region together. Can’t we find those who could be transformed [via training andeducation] into Japanese, at least partially (hannipponjin)? Obviously this is impossible
for peoples such as the Chinese and Thais, because they already possess their own
distinctive histories and cultures that have given them strong inner solidarity and a senseof unity (do-ho--teki-na kankei). By contrast, peoples such as the Filipinos lack a[sophisticated] culture they can call their own. In any case, Filipinos have been spoiled
by the impact of American culture. This suggests they may be resistant (toriatsukainikui)[to the disciplines of modern life]. On the other hand, there are peoples who appear tolack the kind of defining culture of the Chinese and the Thais but do demonstrate exactly
those superior qualities needed for the task of constructing this Co-prosperity Sphere.
Take, for example, the Malays. I am not very knowledgeable about Malaya but thepeople appear to be quite remarkable (so-to- yu-shu-) …

SUZUKI: Perhaps the Indonesians.

NISHITANI: Yes, one hears at least that they have really superior qualities. Haushofer
has described the Malays as a nation of aristocrats (kizokuteki minzoku). It is even saidby some that Japanese blood has been mixed with Malay blood. But my suggestion isthat one might educate a people of excellent qualities with the potential to become what Icall ‘half-Japanese’ provided one starts early enough. If my second-hand knowledge canbe relied upon, the Moro people in the Philippines, for example, appear to possess thekind of qualities I am speaking about.

Cited from David Williams, The Philosophy of Japanese Wartime Resistance (New York:Routledge, 2014), 259 - 260

Related Keywords
Japan and Asia, Ho Tzu Nyen