The Abacus and the Sword: The Japanese Penetration of Korea, 1895-1910 Volume 4

I wrote a thesis in college about the Japanese seizure of Korea, and my main argument was that there was no nefarious plot to take over Korea; rather, the annexation was the result of conflicting elements within the Japanese government. (The annexation was, of course, a victory for the reactionary elements.) This book illustrates that there WERE elements within the Japanese government who wanted to help Korea reform. They certainly had ulterior (read: self-centered) motives in doing so, namely economic/financial gain. But there was, at least according to this book, a noted absence of imperialistic/expansionist attitudes by Meiji Japan towards Yi Choson Korea, at least for a time. It is a challenging examination of that time from the Japanese point of view, and it certainly merits a reading from the serious historian.

Somebody says that it was biased because it was written by Japanese documents. But his remark is questionable because there should be books written by various sources, not only by Korean scholars. On the contrary to his opinion, books based only on Korean information sometimes look distorted because of the Korean governments' anti-Japan propaganda. Viewed from both sides, truth can be seen.

This is an excellent book. I appreciate the sharp research and insightful interpretation of this period of East Asian History. My only criticism would be that I wish the thesis of Archaic, medieval-millitaristic form of imperialism as practiced by Japan and Russia in their colonial expansion was elaborated upon. Otherwise, I do buy into Professor Duus apologetic of defensive mechanism turned into opportunism (and eventually tyranny and abuse). This is not an easy book to read however, and requires an ability to read history in a objective manner. It is written from a selective point of view, and as Professor Duus explains in the introduction, it is a book wiha an emphasis on the Japanese experience (ie. primarily Japanese documents, testimony, statistics, etc). In my opinion, it makes for interesting reading when a book is relative to an unpopular perspective (another book in that vein would be "Redcoats and Rebels: An English Perspective of The American Revolution")and there should be dissension in interpretation if one is to have a decent historical dialogue. One should remember as one reads the book that the period between the Meiji restoration and Korean annexation was a period in which Japan was in the process of becoming a wester-style imperialist power. What I find facinating is that Japan conscioussly decided to play the European colonial/economic game; but ancient Confucian reverberations unconscioussly dictated how the game was to be played by the Japanese. The "onne-san" idea regarding sibling relationships, (ie. older brother/youger brother), as a basis political and economic relationship that led a struggling-to-become-western Japan to intervene "on behalf" of a reticent-Yangban-entrenched Korea is credible and, if one is familiar with the hierachial nature of Japanese society, logical. Finally, as an asian-american who was brought up despise Japanese imperal expanision in East Asia, (and the cultural smothering, tyranny and brutallity that went with it), it was hard for me too to swallow the possibility that Japan inacted in its expansion as a defense mechanism, but the evidence as disscussed in this book is compelling.

One of the many aspects of East Asian relations insufficiently appreciated in Western nations is the troubled history of Japan and its neighbors, specifically Korea. Peter Duus' The Abacus and the Sword: The Japanese Penetration of Korea, 1893-1910 is a an economic analysis of the relationship between Japan and Choson Korea before the Japanese Occupation. A very demanding book by a reputable Japan scholar, Abacus and the Sword requires a beginner's acquaintance with Japanese and Korean history, and a knowledge of international relations in the nineteenth century is also helpfulFor those living outside of Korea, the reasons for Meiji Japan's occupation of Korea may seem unimportant, but, in all the countries of Northeast Asia, Japanese responsibility for many actions committed in the 20th Century are highly controversial and relevant. Debates concerning North Korean policy, Japanese militarization, Japanese war guilt, comfort women, Japan's economic recession and endemic corruption are all subjects affected by the histories of Japan and Korea. But this book also contributes to the discussion concerning colonialism and imperialism.Why did an isolationist victim of Western imperialism become a conqueror itself? Instead of championing the rights of weaker nations, Japan determined to imitate it's American transgressors and build an empire of it's own, to compete with the West. This is Duus' starting point, which he painstakingly traces in its political and economic history. Duus argues, that industrialization was the condition for Japanese imperialism, not the reason. Furthermore, British, French, and American government support for empire-building affected how the Japanese government policies worked.Although he admits so himself, I would prefer if Duus had used more Korean sources, especially when discussing the Korean resistance armies (uibyong-gun), but he uncovers the Japanese players and popular Japanese attitudes without bias. The other side of the equation is important, though, namely how Korea fell so easily to foreign domination. Duus also discusses the other international players, Russia and China. And the last chapter on Japanese cultural domination invaluably narrates how Japan obliterated a nascent Korean identity. Still, the Japanese accounts of Korean conditions are insightful, since Korean accounts are sparse and suspect.Given the politicized nature of the two countries' relationship, the reader must be skeptical of any history. Undisputed data is sparse and analysis, particularly on the Korean sides, has progressed little from conspiracy theories. Any amount of sober analysis is welcome, and Duus delivers.