Ivan SABLIN factor” and a participant of the inter-
state community since 1858 (P. vii). Kimitaka Matsuzato (Ed.), Rus- Matsuzato provides an overview of sia and Its Northeast Asian Neigh- English and Japanese historiogra- bors: China, Japan, and Korea, phy on the subject, which is indeed 1858–1945 (Lanham, MD: Lex- insufficient in its discussion of the ington Books, 2017). 206 pp., ills. role played by the Russian Empire Index. ISBN: 978-1-4985-3704-9. and the Soviet Union in regional politics and economy. The authors This edited collection of com- of individual chapters include oth- prehensive case studies explores erwise rarely discussed East Asian the relations between the Russian perspectives on Russia (such as the Empire/Soviet Union and China, discourse of the Russian threat in Japan, and Korea between the for- Japan) in order to counterbalance the mal arrival of the Russian state in much more frequent European and Northeast Asia after the Treaties Russian perspectives on East Asia of Aigun and Tianjin in 1858 and within the recurring theme of con- the radical reconfiguration of the temporary “yellow peril” discourse. regional political and economic The Qing Empire is also discussed landscape following the Japanese in the volume as an imperial forma- defeat in World War II and Soviet tion with its own agency, rather than occupation of Manchuria and North an object of foreign imperialisms Korea in 1945. The volume is edited and a victim thereof. The introduc- by Kimitaka Matsuzato, a Univer- tion claims that the volume departs sity of Tokyo professor specializing from state-centered perspectives by in the history and politics of Russia focusing on the dynamics within and Ukraine. As a leading Japanese imperial formations and exploring and international expert in the field, public opinion apart from official Matsuzato has both the experience policies (P. xii). and expertise required to compile Although the introduction right- and edit such a collection. fully points at numerous gaps in The book consists of an intro- historiography, the book presents duction and ten chapters penned a collection of essays, which are by scholars from Japan, Russia, different in their focus, period, Germany, and Hong Kong. In the genre, theoretical approaches, and introduction, Matsuzato outlines the methodology, rather than a coherent main goal of the book, which is to monograph-like collective endeavor. inscribe Russia into the history of Most of the chapters deal with the Northeast Asia as both “a decisive Russian Empire and, in fact, almost 345 Рецензии/Reviews completely ignore Korea. The im- studies in international scholarship. perial formations in question – the The attention to institutions, popula- Russian Empire/Soviet Union, the tions, and press, treated separately Japanese Empire, and the Qing from governments, also makes the Empire/Chinese Republic – appear book a welcome addition to the somewhat static over the period, scholarship of the region. and there is hardly anything on the Following the introduction, the ruptures and their perception in the volume is divided chronologically, region. A chapter (or chapters) on even though some essays overlap regional roots and consequences of in their time frames. The chapter of the revolutions in the Russian and Shinichi Fumoto (Niigata Univer- Qing Empires (including Japanese sity), “Russia’s Expansion to the Far interventions in Russia and China) East and Its Impact on Early Meiji would certainly have enhanced Japan’s Korea Policy,” focuses on the book. Despite the inclusion of the consequences of Russian impe- the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s in the rialism for Meiji decision making title, there is hardly anything on the and, practically, the future of Korea. circulation of revolutionary ideas in Fumoto argues that the arrival of general and the Communist Inter- Russia in the region triggered the de- national in particular in the volume. velopment of Pan-Asian discourse Because of this, there seems to be too on the need for Japan, China, and much implied continuity between Korea to cooperate against the West the respective monarchies and the (Russia in this case) – as early as troubled Soviet and Chinese repub- 1874 (P. 2). The argument is backed lics in the region. by Japanese sources, including such Despite these critical observa- fascinating documents as a summary tions, the book presents an infor- of talks between a Japanese official mative selection of empirical case and a Russian officer in 1875, in studies based on obscure or hitherto which the latter spoke of the Russian unexplored archival materials. Thus, plans to colonize Manchuria and they are a valuable contribution Korea, which may have fueled the to the fields of Russian, Japanese, development of Japanese defensive Chinese, Eurasian, and East Asian expansionism (P. 4). Despite not be- histories. Furthermore, the volume ing acquainted with Russian schol- connects Japanese, English, and arship and sources on Korean settle- Russian historiographies, which ment in the Ussuri region (which is alone can be seen as a tremendous evident from incorrect dating based achievement given the separation of on Japanese sources [P. 3]), Fumoto national histories and respective area makes an interesting conclusion on 346 Ab Imperio, 1/2018 the impact this immigration had on sians, Britons and the Politics of the Russian scare. The settlement Nationality in the Chinese Customs was seen as being sponsored by the Service, 1890–1937,” by Catherine Russian officials in order to rela- Ladds (Hong Kong Baptist Univer- tivize the Russian–Korean border sity). Ladds makes a convincing and make future expansion easier. argument that colonialism in China Furthermore, the author provides is best understood as a multinational compelling evidence that the status endeavor (rather than that of indi- of Sakhalin and the anticipated vidual empires) and discusses how future of Korea were intertwined the largely foreign Chinese Maritime (Pp. 8–9). Customs Service served as an instru- In the chapter “The Russian Fac- ment of imperialism. The author tor Facilitating the Administrative then compares the experiences of Reform in Qing Manchuria in the Russian and British employees of Late Nineteenth and Early Twen- the service and concludes that na- tieth Centuries,” Susumu Tsukase tional belonging did play a role in (Nagano University) discusses how the different status of Europeans in the arrival of Russia in the region China (Pp. 34–35). A reader may, in 1858–1860 triggered the mod- however, be left wondering if it was ernization of Qing governance of not Russian nationality but the lack Manchuria, namely the abrogation of citizenship and extraterritorially of the Eight Banner System in 1907 of the particular émigré employee (Pp. 15, 26–27). The discussion of that proved especially important (P. the Qing perception of the Russian 39) and thereby connected the case expansion and the effect the border to many other stories of stateless had on the indigenous peoples is people in supposedly privileged also very welcome (Pp. 22–23). The positions elsewhere. supplementary argument that this The chapter by Yukimura Sakon Russian expansion triggered Han (Niigata University), “Develop- Chinese settlement of Manchuria ment of Trade on the Amur and the is backed by hard evidence and Sungari and the Customs Problem therefore presents an interesting case in the Last Years of the Russian of effective Qing policy directed Empire,” discusses the continuous against Western (Russian in this development of the border between case) expansionism (P. 24). the Russian and Qing Empires after The question of nationality of the Treaty of Beijing of 1860 and European settlers and sojourns in the changes in navigation rights on East Asia is the main focus of the the Amur and Sungari Rivers. The chapter “Imperial Ambitions: Rus- dynamic perspective and the atten- 347 Рецензии/Reviews tion to regional actors, at times with which certainly enriches the un- interests and opinions different from derstanding of Far Eastern elites’ those of St. Petersburg or Beijing, attempts to change official policies. is a strong side of the chapter (Pp. Asada’s rich study also provides an 49–50, 52, 57). So is the argument overview of the impact of World about the concessions the Russian War I on Vladivostok (Pp. 74–75). Empire made to the Qing Empire in Here again the author convincingly 1910 following the Russo-Japanese disproves the assumptions of the War, namely the abolition of the free city’s wartime prosperity due to be- trade zone along the border in 1912 ing the only unobstructed major port (Pp. 57–58). The study of this issue of the Russian Empire by exploring enriches the understanding of gover- the ineffectiveness of the railway nance in the Russian Far East in the system, which lacked both train late empire, for the abolition of free engines and cars to either supply the trade was seen by contemporaries as front or prevent the accumulation of an initiative of businessmen from the excessive materials in Vladivostok European part of the empire rather (Pp. 76–77). than as a consequence of interna- In the chapter “Japanese–Rus- tional relations. sian Kulturkampf in the Far East, The chapter by Masafumi Asada 1904–5: Organization, Methods, (Tohoku University), “Making a Ideas,” Dmitrii B. Pavlov (Institute Vancouver in the Far East: ‘The of Russian History, Russian Acad- Trinity Transportation System’ emy of Sciences) explores informa- of the Chinese Eastern Railway, tion warfare – the competition of 1896–1917,” presents a fascinat- Japanese and Russian propaganda, ing economic study of the Russian mainly in China and Korea – dur- colonization effort in East Asia. ing the Russo-Japanese War (Pp. Apart from scrutinizing Sergei 89–90). Although the author makes Witte’s blueprint for regional infra- an interesting argument about the structure, which drew heavily on conflict heralding the propaganda Canadian experience (Pp. 65–66), wars of the twentieth century, there Asada refutes the long-standing as- seems to be too much projecting of sumption about its ineffectiveness in Cold War language onto the case. It relation to Dal’nii by using statistical remains somewhat unclear why the sources. The author also analyzes its struggle was “ideological.” While later effects on the Russian Far East Pavlov convincingly demonstrates proper, namely the dependency on how the Japanese claim to repre- the Chinese Eastern Railway and senting civilization intended for Manchurian imports (Pp. 69–73), European and American audiences 348 Ab Imperio, 1/2018 differed from the Pan-Asian message Reporting the Japanese Imperial sent to the Chinese and Koreans, System in the Russian Press.” The he does not discuss the content of author discusses how the Russian Russian propaganda in comparable press contributed to the quick rap- detail. At the same time, the analysis prochement between the two em- of the journalists’ agency is a valu- pires during World War I, but also able contribution to the history of the used Japan as a proxy to discuss the war (Pp. 90–92, 97, 107). Russian political system in positive The chapter by Andreas Renner and negative terms depending on the (Ludwig Maximilian University of political affiliations of the journal- Munich), “Captured or Captivated? ists (Pp. 137–139, 142–143). The The War against Japan (1904–5) in use of Japan as a prism to look at the Memories of Russian POWs,” empire certainly provides a refresh- discusses a different group of ac- ing perspective on the otherwise tors experiencing the war – Rus- Eurocentric histories of World War sian prisoners of war in Japan. I and prerevolutionary Russia. The The author certainly enriches the chapter could have been enriched by history of the conflict by exploring a discussion of Russian progressive the psychological dimension of the Oriental studies and their effect on war and the experiences of the previ- the positive images of Japan con- ously unknown modern situation of veyed, among others, by Dmitrii internment (Pp. 117–120). Renner Pozdneev (P. 145). analyzes captivity as a contact zone The chapter by Michiko Ikuta that helped Russians encounter (Osaka University), “Two Russias Japan firsthand, thereby changing in Harbin: The Émigré Commu- the prewar stereotypes forever (P. nity and the Soviet Colony,” on 130). A reader, however, might the imaginaries of prerevolution- also have been interested in how ary Russia and the Soviet Union the experience affected the former in post-1917 Harbin also explores prisoners’ perception of the Russian regional nonstate actors. The author Empire, given that many of them provides a comprehensive analysis were susceptible to revolutionary of a Harbin Russian identity and propaganda by émigré socialists in unmasks the fluidity of the bor- Japan in 1905–1907. der between Russian émigrés and The topic of nonstate actors is Soviet citizens in Manchuria (Pp. continued by Yoshiro Ikeda (Uni- 151–155). The study of the Russian versity of Tokyo) in the chapter nationalist turn in the Soviet Union “From the Meiji Emperor’s Funeral of the 1930s on the Manchurian to the Taisho Emperor’s Coronation: sources is especially valuable (Pp. 349 Рецензии/Reviews 155–158). Although the essay is Each chapter of the volume well-grounded, it could be viewed as enriches our understanding of the overly centered on Russians. Indeed, region during the period of impe- Ikuta acknowledges the diversity of rial transformations. Although the both the émigrés and the Soviets (P. collection could have been more 152), but it is questionable whether coherent theoretically and balanced the many Jews from the Russian thematically, it is undoubtedly a Empire would fit into the émigré/ valuable addition to historiography. Soviet dichotomy. I can wholeheartedly recommend The volume concludes with individual essays and the book as the chapter by Yaroslav Shula- a whole to students of the Russian tov (Hiroshima City University), Empire and early Soviet Union, as “V. L. Kopp and Soviet Policy to- well as to all those studying inter- wards Japan after the Basic Conven- national relations in Eurasia and tion of 1925: Moscow and Tokyo’s East Asia. Failed ‘Honeymoon’?” on the con- tradictions of early Soviet foreign policy in the region. The author focuses on the divergent opinions of Victor Kopp, the first Soviet envoy to Japan, and Lev Karakhan (and to a lesser extend Georgii Chicherin) on the desired course of action in China (Pp. 167–168). The evidence that there were Soviet officials who aspired to cooperate with Japan when defending Russian rights in Manchuria certainly changes the understanding of Soviet foreign policy as preoccupied with the revolutionary movement in China (Pp. 174–176, 180–181). One may wonder, however, to what extent this policy was affected by the legacies of the Japanese Intervention, includ- ing the protracted withdrawal from Sakhalin and the extensive conces- sion rights granted to Japanese busi- ness in 1925. 350