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| The Essence and Evolution of Modern Japanese Imperialism——Focusing on “Ethical Imperialism” of Ukita Kazutami |
| Ma Bingjie |
| (School of History and Culture， Central China Normal University， Wuhan 430079) |
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Abstract Ukita Kazutami is a famous political commentator and historian in modern Japan. He served as the chief editor of the “Dai-Nippon Civilization Association” and the chief writer of the Taiyo magazine for a long time. Ukita Kazutami is also regarded as a representative figure of the European and American school because of his promotion of liberalism. Ukita Kazutami proposed the concept of “ethical imperialism”， which is the most representative and influential aspect of his political thought. The essence of “ethical imperialism” is expansionism based on social evolutionism， and its core is “natural expansion” premised on the coordination with imperial countries. However， with the changes in Sino-Japanese relations， Ukita Kazutami abandoned the elements of civilization， peace， and negotiation in the “ethical imperialism”. He endorsed Japan's military expansion， which was criticized by Chinese intellectuals. By analyzing the essence and evolution of Ukita Kazutami's “ethical imperialism”， this work shows that although modern Japanese intellectuals defended imperialism by using political concepts such as constitutionalism or liberal democracy， the essence of their theories was always social Darwinism and colonialism. Their theories failed to prevent Japan from falling into fascism， and could not be the genuine source of post-war democracy of Japan.
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Received: 17 July 2024
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2024, Vol. 63 
