Meiji University Research Institute for the History of Global Arms Transfer was founded in June 2015 on the research support from Meiji University and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan. Mainly from the historical perspective, our Institute aims to analyze the international circumstances hampering efforts for the disarmament and arms control. For the sake of disseminating our Institute, this paper will introduce our joint research progress for the past 15 years and elaborate on the future program of our historical research on the disarmament and arms control.
Before launching our Institute in June 2015, our joint research dealt with the significant role that arms transfer played in the modern industrial countries from the mid-nineteenth century until the Second World War. It has been supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research(KAKENHI), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Firstly, we aimed to clarify the history of arms transfer between Britain and Japan before the First World War, which not only contributed to the development of the British armament industries including Vickers and Armstrongs but also fostered the industrial and military self-reliance in Japan. Secondly, by focusing on the relationships between the arms transfer and disarmament and rearmament between the Wars, we also tried to examine ‘a chain reaction of arms transfer’ among countries pursuing self-reliant industrial-military system.
From now on, our Institute will analyze the following three related subjects in parallel:(1)global history of arms transfer in relation to disarmament conferences including Washington Conference(1922) and Geneva Naval Conference(1927). (2)growth and export of dual-use aircraft industries in Europe, the United States and Japan between the Wars.(3)arms and technology transfer and military assistance after the Second World War. The industrial and military development in post-independence Asian countries, especially military-industrial-research complex in India could not be fostered without multinational aid which would ensure international independence for India.
Lastly, in order to send information of our Institute, we are utilizing several ways and means with effect, e.g. symposium, research journal, publishing activity, international collaboration, and conference presentation. It is desirable they will be advantage for developing young researchers.
View full abstract