Dominion and the Rising Sun: Canada Encounters Japan, 1929-1941 - Hardcover

Meehan, John D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 077481120X ISBN 13: 9780774811200

Publisher: UBC Press, 2004

Synopsis

The Dominion and the Rising Sun is the first major study ofCanada's diplomatic arrival in Japan and, by extension, EastAsia. It examines the political, economic, and cultural relationsforged during this seminal period between the foremost power in Asiaand the young dominion tentatively establishing itself in worldaffairs. The book begins with the opening in 1929 of the Canadian legation inTokyo -- Canada's third such office overseas -- and concludeswith the outbreak of hostilities in 1941. Primarily a diplomatichistory, the book also assesses the impact of traders, interest groups,and missionaries on Canadian attitudes toward Japan during the interwaryears. More fundamentally, it examines Canada's diplomatic comingof age closely, revealing its important Pacific dimension and thetension between Canada's commitment to peace and its trade withan aggressor.

About this title

Review:

Meehan has given us an important book that will serve as a benchmark for future historical research related to Canada-Japan relations...The book reminds us of long-forgotten details of Canadian foreign policy...[and] Meehan rightly upbraids traditionalists for the `Eurocentric focus of studies of Canada's inter-war foreign policy.' -- John Price * International History Review, XXVIII, 3 * A well-written and well-researched book, The Dominion and the Rising Sun will be, for many years, the starting point of future studies on Canada-Japan and Canada-East Asia research. -- Simon Nantais * Histoire Sociale/Social History, Vol. XXXIX, No. 77 * With its seamless prose and array of interesting details, John Meehan's The Dominion of the Rising Sun is an accessible piece of scholarship on a previously neglected story within Canadian diplomatic history, Canada's official relations with Japan from 1929 to 1941. -- Hyung Gu Lynn * University of Toronto Quarterly, Vol. 76, No. 1 *

Synopsis:

The Dominion and the Rising Sun is the first major study of Canada's diplomatic arrival in Japan and, by extension, East Asia. It examines the political, economic, and cultural relations forged during this seminal period between the foremost power in Asia and the young dominion tentatively establishing itself in world affairs. An overview of Canada's initial foray into Pacific affairs, it begins with the opening in 1929 of the Canadian legation in Tokyo - Canada's third such office overseas - and concludes with the outbreak of hostilities in 1941. Primarily a diplomatic history, the book also explores the impact of traders, interest groups, and missionaries on Canadian attitudes toward Japan during the interwar years. More fundamentally, it examines Canada's diplomatic coming of age closely, revealing its important Pacific dimension - a fact overlooked by historians until now - as well as the disjunct between Canada's commitment to peace and its trade with an aggressor.

Meehan suggests that Canada's initially benign view of Japan, its reluctance to adopt positions in advance of its Anglo-American allies, and its lucrative Pacific trade led to a credibility gap in its policies towards East Asia. The Dominion and the Rising Sun charts Canada's relationship with Japan, and is essential reading for those interested in Canadian history, international relations, and Asia-Pacific studies.

About this edition

• Publisher: UBC Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 077481120X
• ISBN 13: 9780774811200
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272