THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STUDY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS IN JAPAN

Abstract

I. The Inter-War Period The new field of study known as 'international relations' or 'international politics' came into existence in Japan as well as in the West at the turn ot the 20th century, especially as a result of World War I, ~nd made remarkable progress following World War II. In Japan, prior to World War I, international affairs were not so important as domestic affairs as a subject of scholarly interest. Usually they were dealt with only in the field of international law or of diplomatic history.1 As for political science, its object tended to be limited to domestic politics, partly because of the strong influence on it of German Staatslehre.2 Consequently, questions of international politics were dealt with briefly as those of ' foreign policy,' which was regarded at best as an extension of domestic politics. After Japan started overseas activities on an international scale with its entry intQ World War I and subsequent participation in the League of Nations as one of the leading members, the importance and complexity of international relations became widely recognized among informed people and grew into a subject of active discussion. In this period, a great number of