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Research Papers
Malay Muslims
in Early Meiji Japan
By Michael Penn
Abstract: This paper examines the activities of Malay and other Muslims
in the treaty port of Yokohama in the 1870s and 1880s. Previous
scholarship has often assumed that there were no Muslims in Japan in
this period, and so the main purpose of this paper is to correct that
misperception. Most of the Malays in Japan were sailors on British and
Dutch merchant ships, but a few drifters seem to have stayed in port
even after their ships pulled out. Additionally, one Malay
head-of-state, Maharaja (later Sultan) Abu Bakar of Johor, made a state
visit in 1883. This paper chronicles his activities in some detail, and
suggests some possible reasons for his behavior during his travels. This
paper concludes that the global dominance of European powers in this
period stifled the development of Japan-Muslim relations due to treaty
restrictions, and therefore there was no institutional presence of
Muslims in Japan. However, this should not be confused with saying that
individual Muslims were not present in Yokohama in this period, because
they certainly were.
Michael Penn is the Executive Director of the Shingetsu Institute for
the Study of Japanese-Islamic Relations.
The Impact
of the Russo-Japanese War on Ottoman Turkey
By Selcuk Esenbel
Abstract: Viewed by many in Europe and Asia as a victory of the
downtrodden, the deep influence of the Japanese triumph in the
Russo-Japanese War on nationalist and anti-imperialist currents has been
widely noted. However, the Japanese victory over Tsarist Russia also had
the effect of accelerating demands for constitutionalism in Muslim and
Asian opposition circles since many regarded it as a blow to the concept
of autocratic government. This paper will examine the political impact
of the Russo-Japanese War in this context. The paper concludes that not
only did the defeat of Tsarist Russia serve as the foundation for
Japan’s connections to the Turkish world and the world of Islam, as has
been previously understood, but it also played a crucial ideological
role in bringing about the destruction of the Ottoman Empire itself.
Selcuk Esenbel is Professor of History at Bogazici University in
Istanbul, Turkey.
Japan and the
Issue of Piracy in Southeast Asia
By Tai Wei Lim
Abstract: This paper examines the issue of Japan’s involvement in
anti-piracy efforts in Southeast Asia, especially near the Straits of
Malacca. Piracy is an issue that has a profound impact on regional
integration and cooperation, and preventing the outbreak of such
criminal activities is imperative. This paper argues that narrow
definitions of national interest should be replaced with comprehensive
multilateral security approaches that include multilevel cooperation,
information exchange, confidence-building measures, and generous
donations by all the regional powers. A crucial element of this is the
need to gain further understanding and active support from the littoral
states. This article describes Japan’s recent efforts against piracy in
Southeast Asia with the core mechanism being the Tokyo-initiated
Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery
against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP).
Tai Wei Lim is Research Fellow at the East Asian Institute, National
University of Singapore; Research Associate at the Singapore Institute
of International Affairs; and Adjunct Professor at Georgian Court
University, New Jersey.
Indonesia,
Japan, and the LNG Conundrum
By David Adam Stott
Abstract: This article focuses on energy issues to assess the current
state of bilateral relations between Japan and Indonesia in the wake of
the August 2007 signing of the Japan-Indonesia Economic Partnership
Agreement (JIEPA) and its coming into force on July 1, 2008. Despite its
wide-ranging nature, the JIEPA ironically leaves unresolved what is
arguably the most important issue between the signatories, namely future
natural gas exports to Japan. Indonesia has cut its exports to Japan,
its best customer, by more than half, whilst ramping up the price to
previously unseen levels. This paper examines the reasons for the
Indonesian policy change. It finds these reasons to be multi-faceted,
but essentially grounded in both an evolving domestic situation and in
altered global energy realities.
David Adam Stott is Associate Professor at The University of Kitakyushu,
Japan.
Translation
Travel in
Iran and Iraq: From Tehran to Baghdad (1941)
By Fujio Inoue
This travelogue presents a picture of Iran and Iraq published in the
Japanese-language journal Kokusai Chishiki (International Knowledge) in
July 1941. This was the eve of major political upheavals in both
countries. The Iranian regime of Reza Shah would soon be overthrown by
an Anglo-Soviet invasion in the autumn of 1941. Inoue’s description of
Baghdad was written just before the coup of Rashid Ali al-Gailani and
that regime’s rapid overthrow by British forces in May 1941. The picture
presented by Inoue, however, is a very peaceful one of beautiful sights
and interesting local customs. He takes us on a tour of the elegant
shopping streets of Tehran, a scenic drive in the Alborz Mountains,
visions along the roadside of the desert, and bustling scenes of the
bazaars of Baghdad. We are left with a Japanese visitor’s impressions of
a modernizing world just as that world was facing tremendous political
and social changes.
Fujio Inoue was an author of prewar Japan. In 1941, he published the
Japanese-language book, The State of Oil in the Near East, India, and
the Dutch Indies. |
