The Limits of Decolonization: Taiwan and Japan in the Wake of Empire

2018 Fiscal Year Research-status Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K01001
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: オーガスティン マシュー 九州大学, 比較社会文化研究院, 准教授 (40598710)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: Decolonization

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

This research project examines American and Chinese occupation policies in postwar Japan and Taiwan, focusing on outstanding issues pertaining to the vestiges of Japanese colonialism. During the first year, I conducted archival research on Chinese policies towards Taiwan after 1945, making two research trips to Taipei in August and September 2018. Specifically, I immersed myself for three weeks in the most relevant records deposited at Academia Historica, the Institute of Modern History and the Institute of Taiwan History at Academia Sinica, and the Guomingdang Party Archives in Taipei. I also examined other official documents located at the National Central Library and the Social Sciences Information Center at the National Chengchi University.

Current Status of Research Progress

2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.

Reason

My research project is progressing smoothly towards the objectives outlined in my original proposal. The only change made to my research plans was that I spent a total of one month in Taipei, instead of two months, as I was able to collect an abundance of archival materials that I can use for my research.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

In the coming year, I intend to continue my archival research, this time in Japan. I have decided to postpone my research trip to the United States until the following year, so that I can focus first on gathering historical records in several parts of Japan. My sources in Tokyo include various ministerial records of the Japanese government found in the National Archives of Japan, the Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Diet Library. In addition, I will search for other relevant sources, including Chinese-language newspapers, magazines, unpublished private papers, and diaries relating to Taiwanese in Japan during the occupation period; many of which are available in the Overseas Chinese History Museum in Kobe.

Causes of Carryover

I had originally planned to hire a research assistant in FY 2018 to help assemble and read through the archival materials I collected in Chinese. However, I managed to read through and categorize some of the materials myself, though I still need assistance in translating the Chinese materials into English. Therefore, I plan to allocate the leftover funding from FY 2018 to hire a research assistant in FY 2019 to read through and translate some of these materials.