European Association of Japanese Resource
Specialists
2010 Conference, Genoa

Getting JACAR Closer toEuropean Japan Specialists

HIRANO Kenichiro, JACAR

１． JACAR’s Achievement:
Professor Ishii’s Contributions
JACAR: established in Nov. 2001
documents available for free access:over 20,000,000 images (in 2008)
over 30,000,000 images (in 2011)
cross archival research acrossNational Archives of Japan,
Diplomatic Record Office andNational Institute for Defense Studies

２． Value of Historical Documents
Hirano studying the Manchurian
Incident and Manchukuo
secret diaries by Captain Katakura ofthe GS of the Kwantung Army
(Katakura diaries)
Nakamura (Ogata) Sadako
Misuzu Shobo’s Gendaishi Shiryo３． New Arrivals at JACAR
From Diplomatic Record Office
18,471 files (689,658 images)on trade and commerce during theMeiji and Taisho periods( ３門（明治・大正期の通商））
on transportation andcommunication during the earlyShowa period(F 門（昭和戦前期の交通・通From Library of National Institute for
Defense Studies
on the demise of the Meiji Emperor
and the Taisho Emperor( 崩御陸特文書 )on the incident of a military unit
exercising in Mt. Hakkoda( 雪中行軍 )４． Document Search in English
Determining ofsubject titles, andopening three hundred words
essential for keyword search andcross-archival research
thesaurus of keywords
ex., “Taiheiyo senso” (“Pacific War”) and“Daitoa senso” (“Greater East Asian war”)

English translation ofsubject title and author’s namebut no English translation of
opening three hundred words
and thesaurus⇒
search in English≠ search in Japanese
only top page in Chinese and Korean

Problem of translating historical
documents and their authenticity
translation: tantamount to forcing aparticular interpretation
trade-off between easy access by
non-Japanese speaking users andoffering historical documents inoriginal forms

５ . An Exercise on the Case of Japan’s
Withdrawal from the League of Nations
Hirano’s ongoing researchasking three questions:
1) Japanese government’s decision
making process and Matsuoka
Yosuke’s role2) reactions of the League of Nations
3) possibility of stopping the effects ofManchurian Incident

Shinohara Hatsue’s recent book on
the League of Nations( 篠原初枝『国際聯盟ー世界平和への夢と挫折』中公新書、２０１０）

Search in English
input two keywords“Matsuoka Yosuke” and“League of Nations”.
→ two documents
search in Japanese
松岡洋右 国際聯盟→ ten documents

Input “withdrawal from the League ofNations” ⇒22 document files by English search
87 document files by Japanese search
File No. 16 “Documents relating towithdrawal from the League of Nations
by Japanese Government”( 「帝国政府ノ国際聯盟脱退関係一件」 )[B04014056900]

February 1, 1933
cabinet tentative decision– withdrawal possible
February 19
MOFA draft proposal for withdrawal
February 20 (Feb.21 in Geneva)
cabinet decision on withdrawal
telegram to Geneva
League General Assembly resumed
February 23 (Feb.24 in Geneva)
League adopted resolution
Matsuoka left League

Input “Matsuoka” and “League ofNations” in English⇒
14 documents
Item 13 to Item 20:“ Telegrams addressed to Nagaoka
and Matsuoka plenipotentiary
representatives and exchange
telegrams of League of Nations
representatives, …”.

File No. 14[B04014082600]“Secret records of League of Nations,
Division 4”
8 English typescripts of “RECORDOF INTERVIEW” by Drummond
himself
about his interviews with Matsuoka
during January 18 － February 4,
1933

In “RECORD OF INTERVIEW” ofFebruary 4, Drummond recorded ：Matsuoka saying “[as long as the Leagueof Nations’ committee adheres to its
Manchukuo point] conciliation wasimpossible and that Japan would beforced to withdraw from the League which
he personally would greatly regret. I(Drummond) replied that I would also
regret it, but that I was convinced that theCommittee could not meet him on thispoint, ……”.

Matsuoka Yosuke’s announcementof Japan’s withdrawal from the League of Nations

http://www2.edu.ipa.go.jp/gz/p-rek1/p-sho1/p-s07/p-069.mpg

独立行政法人情報処理推進機構「教育用画像素材集サイト」
URL:http://www2.edu.ipa.go.jp/gz

6 ． Hoping for an InternationalNetwork of Digital Archives
cross archival researchauthenticity of documents
Wishing an international network ofdigital archives to be formed