War and Tourism: A Historical Study on Battlefield Tourism in Manchuria during the Prewar Period

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K02125
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Tourism Studies
• Research Institution: Komazawa University
• Principal Investigator: KO EN 駒澤大学, グローバル・メディア・スタディーズ学部, 教授 (20453566)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 満洲 / 戦跡 / 観光 / ツーリズム / 戦争 / 帝国 / 植民地

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study not only clarified the process of battlefield preservation and the actual state of battlefield tourism in Manchuria during the prewar period, but also drew out the dynamism of the interaction between China and Japan that took place in the field of tourism by examining the impact of the war on Chinese society during the same period and how Chinese people looked upon Japanese battlefield tourism. First, I was able to understand the preservation process of the Manchurian battle sites that remained following the Russo-Japanese War and the Manchurian Incident. Secondly, I clarified the efforts of the Manchurian Railway Company and the Dairen Urban Transport Corporation, which were leading the way in battlefield tourism, and the actual situation. Thirdly, I was able to shed light on the confrontational nature of the negotiations between Japan and China regarding the acquisition of land for war sites and how war sites should be turned into tourist destinations.

Free Research Field

観光史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

研究成果の学術的意義は、日露戦争から第二次世界大戦にかけての満洲戦跡の保存や観光化の歴史的変容を辿ると同時に、日中双方の観光客のまなざしの交錯の検証を通しながら、通時的・共時的という二つのアプローチにより、満洲地域での戦跡ツーリズム研究の事例研究を提供したことである。
研究成果の社会的意義は、満洲戦跡ツーリズム史を明らかにするだけにとどまらず、今日まで続く日中両国における満洲認識の齟齬（中国では日本による満洲への侵略を強調し、日本の一部の人は日本による満洲開発の成果を強調する）を解きほぐし、近代東アジア社会における戦争の記憶の形成過程の複雑性と多義性を理解する糸口を提示したことである。