晩年の新渡戸稲造とアメリカ――満州事変後のアメリカ講演をめぐる評価――

<p>The Japanese Quaker Nitobe Inazo (1862-1933) devoted his whole life to fostering mutual understanding between Japan and America as a bridge across the Pacific Ocean. Nitobe became the first Japanese Quaker in 1886 while studying in Baltimore. The central teaching of Quakerism is the belief in each individual’s God-given “inner light” regardless of their race, religion, gender, or social status. Nitobe lived up to Quakerism’s essential tenet of accepting God’s presence within himself, and believed Quakerism to be the right medium for making peace with God and people around him.</p><p>Nitobe’s lifework of peacebuilding was full of trials especially in his later years, starting from the Manchurian Incident on September 18, 1931. After the incident, the world community severely criticized the militaristic policies of Japan, and Japan became gradually isolated from the international community. Under these conditions, Nitobe made speech tours in America from 1932 to 1933. Without representing any organizations, Nitobe explained Japan’s position behind the incident and tried to rid American people of anti-Japan sentiment. However, Nitobe’s voice was largely neglected by people in both America and Japan, because they had their own interests in China and fears about national security. This paper focuses on Nitobe’s later years and evaluates his activities all over America in those critical situations.</p><p>There is significant controversy over the pros and cons of Nitobe’s peacebuilding activities in America after the Manchurian Incident. Many previous studies underestimate Nitobe’s objective of peace. They criticize Nitobe’s approach for his remarks that justified Japan’s role in the incident, which was the very beginning of the Japanese military’s acts of violence throughout World War II. Unquestionably, Nitobe had little understanding of China or the background of the incident. Nevertheless, it is also to be noted that Nitobe envisioned a harmonious society seeking reconciliation between nationalism and internationalism by respecting each person’s “inner light.” In order to fully understand Nitobe’s actions, both negative and positive effects of his speech tours in America should be examined.</p><p>Thus, the central theme of this paper is the investigation of why Nitobe defended Japan’s invasion of Manchuria, and what brought him to America. This study primarily takes advantage of the literature reviews of Nitobe’s works, including scripts of his speeches, and historical documents such as diplomatic correspondences.</p><p>By doing so, the author aims to explore Nitobe’s belief that every person has a potential to be civilized. Based on this progressive view on civilization, Nitobe tended to judge stages of civilization, and did not regard China as civilized enough to govern Manchuria. The author also attempts to show that Nitobe practiced Quakerism and followed his grave mission of international cooperation to the end. Nitobe’s initiatives for peace were meant to cultivate any opportunity for a dialogue between Japanese and American people.</p><p>Through those discussions, this study concludes that both negative and positive aspects of Nitobe’s trip to America can be traced to his own Quakerism. This finding will provide a clue to reassessing the bridge-builder’s efforts in his later years.</p>