徳富蘇峰とイギリス Tokutomi Soho and Britain
Tokutomi Soho (1863-1957) was one of the most influential journalists of modern Japan. The purpose of this paper is to show how Soho's views of Britain changed from the 1880s to the 1940s. Young Soho reacted strongly against British colonialism in Asia. However, facing the more critical situation of Russian expansion in East Asia, he became a passionate advocate for an Anglo-Japanese Alliance. To this end, Soho cooperated with Prime Minister Katsura, and the First Alliance was concluded in 1902. When the treaty of the Second Alliance was concluded in 1905, Soho was one of Japan's representative Anglophiles. Nevertheless, the Third Alliance of 1911 made him distrustful of British and American attitudes toward Japan. Soho became anti-British after the termination of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance in 1923. After that Soho leaned towards Eurasian countries, especially Germany, and became an advocate for the Tripartite Pact of 1940. In the same year, the U.S. imposed economic sanctions on Japan because of the Japan-China War. As a result, Soho insisted that Japan should have advance southward for natural resources, after which he began to suggest that Japan should declare war against Britain, and stated this definitely on January 1941. In conclusion, I should note that Soho was an Anglophobe from 1911 to 1923. Consequently, it is important to consider his thoughts and actions for this period of twelve years.