Toa-dobunkai's Perception of Current Situation on China in Toa-jiron (1898-1899)

Abstract

Japan's perception of China changed drastically after the First Sino-Japanese War. Toa-dobunkai, a Japanese organization had a major influence on the Japanese perception of China at that time. The semimonthly journal Toa-jiron was published in 1898 by Toa-dobunkai. Based on an analysis of how China was depicted in Toa-jiron articles, this paper examines Toa-dobunkai's perception of China in the late 19th century.