This book looks at East Asian actors in the League of Nations to explore a pivotal moment in the early stage of the development of global international relations. It breaks new ground by drawing on extensive sources in East Asian languages to show how actors from the region played significant roles in shaping the emerging norms and practices that underpin the international system. The chapters cover cases from the three East Asian member states, namely China, Japan and Siam (Thailand) to address topics that involve the intersection of disciplinary fields, such as law and warfare, sovereignty and international organization, and public health and international co-operation. The research draws on new material that will be of interest to academic researchers and is presented in a style suitable for teaching at undergraduate and graduate levels, especially for courses that strive to achieve a global outlook and the decolonization of the curriculum.
Author(s): Christopher R. Hughes, Hatsue Shinohara
Series: New Directions in East Asian History
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 347
City: Singapore
Acknowledgments
Note on Romanization
Contents
Notes on Contributors
Abbreviations
List of Tables
Introduction: Locating Eastern Asia and the League in Global International Relations
References
The League of Nations in a World of Empires
Liberal Internationalism Reconsidered: Inter-Imperialism, Liberalism, and the League of Nations in Asia and the Pacific
Introduction
Inter-Imperialism and the Inter-Imperial Order in Asia and the Pacific in 1920–1960
Liberal Inter-Imperialism and Inter-colonialism for the League of Nations
Liberal Inter-Imperialism and the ‘humanitarian’ Laws of the League
Liberals, Public Opinion and Experts: the League and Mass-Based Democracy
Conclusion
Notes
References
The League’s Technical Work in the Years of Growing Nationalism
The Significance of Functional Co-operation
Japan: Technical Co-operation in the Context of Withdrawal
Technical Co-operation and China’s Sovereignty
International Co-operation Versus Nationalism
References
Global Networks Between Civilisations
The Far-Eastern Bureau of the League of Nations: Linking the Regional and International Orders Through Health Work
Introduction
Establishment of the League of Nations Health Organization (LNHO)
World War I and Infectious Diseases
The Epidemic Commission and the Establishment of the LNHO
The LNHO Far-Eastern Bureau
The Far-Eastern Bureau and Regional Order in Asia
Continuing the Bureau’s Work During and After World War II
From Allied Command to the WHO
The Continuation and Expansion of the Bureau’s Pre-war Activities
The Changing Status of the Intelligence Station
Establishment of the International Sanitary Regulations (1951)
The Legacy of the Far-Eastern Bureau
Notes
References
Japanese International Lawyers and the Codification of International Law in the League of Nations
Introduction
Background to the League’s Efforts to Codify International Law
The Covenant and International Law
The Debate in the Assembly
Preparations for a Codification Conference
The Codification Project and Japan
How the JSIL Came to Submit a Draft Code
The Significance of the Japanese Draft Code
The Reaction of the International Community
A ‘National’ Code—Yet Not Entirely So
The Idea of Codification Behind the Draft Code
The Significance of Sub-state Actors
Notes
References
Intellectual Entanglements Between the League of Nations and Eastern Asia: Modernism or Anti-modernism?
Introduction
Japan’s Version of Intellectual Co-operation: gakugei kyōryoku
China’s Version of Intellectual Co-operation: shijie wenhua hezuo
Conclusion
Notes
References
Member States
Siam’s Attempt at Neutrality: Coping with the League of Nations’ Multilateralism
Introduction
Siam’s Manoeuvrings Towards the End of World War I
The Presumption of Neutrality in the League’s First Decade
Managing Politics Among the Powers
Siam and the Racial Equality Clause
The Dispute Over Article 10
Neutrality in the Manchurian Crisis
The Unintended Consequences of Abstention
Perception and Misperception of the Alignment with Japan
Hedging and the Dilemma of Small Powers
Notes
References
Japan’s Diplomats in the League Council: The Challenge of Managing Power and Ideals in the Pacific Settlement of Disputes
Introduction
The Institutional Development of the Council in the 1920s
The Rapporteur and Commission of Enquiry Systems
Examination of Article 11 of the Covenant
Japan and the Pacific Settlement of Conflicts in the 1920s
Japanese Diplomats in the League
Tokyo’s Passivity Toward Reinforcing the Pacific Settlement of Disputes
The Manchurian Crisis and Discussions at the Council
Between Power and Ideals: The Long Shadow of the League
Notes
References
China’s Response to the Ethiopian Crisis (1935–1938)
Introduction
The Impact of the Ethiopian Crisis on China’s Relationship with Italy
Managing Public Opinion: A Controversial Documentary
The Exchange of Recognition Between Italy and Japan
Britain’s Note on Recognizing Italy’s Annexation
Conclusion
Notes
References
Manchuria
Aborted Ideas of an Internationally Administered Manchuria: The Background to the Lytton Report
The League and International Administration Theory in the Early 1930s
The Iraq Model
The Saarland and Danzig Models
Chinese Ideas on Regional Autonomy
The Lytton Report
Formulation of the Recommendations for International Administration
Reactions to the Lytton Recommendations
Conclusions and Analysis
Notes
References
Public Opinion and the League: Newspaper Coverage of the Lytton Commission in China
Introduction
High Expectations and the Establishment of the Lytton Commission
The Commission En Route to Manchuria and Chinese Opinion
Publication of the Lytton Report
From Internationalism to Nationalism
Notes
References
Sovereignty as ‘Organised Hypocrisy’: China’s Diplomats and the Lytton Commission
Deconstructing Sovereignty
China’s Diplomats as Performers
The League in Domestic Politics
Articulating Sovereignty at the League
The Attack on Shanghai
Sovereignty in the Lytton Report
The Diplomatic Power of a Quasi-State
Notes
References
Conclusion: Eastern Asia and the League—Shifting to a Global Perspective
Introduction
International Organizations, Multilateralism, Global Governance: The Post-Cold War History of the League
From Global Governance to Empire Building: The Global Momentum of the Manchurian Crisis
The Political Significance of Technical Co-operation
The League in a Global Perspective—Consequences and Questions
Notes
References
Appendix: The Covenant of the League of Nations
Glossary of Names of Individuals Places and Newspapers
Bibliography
Index
