SUMMARY OF: Tuna as an Economic Resource & Symbolic Capital in Japan’s

“Imperialism of the Sea” by Nadine Heé

Nadin Hee explores and narrates the story of Tuna in the context of Japanese Oceanic
Imperialism throughout World War 2 and The Cold War. Through this narrative she is able to
showcase the importance of Tuna, not just as a “neutral economic resource” but as a symbol of
Japanese Oceanic Imperialism. She provides not just the context of tuna but its importance and
connection with Japanese history during WW2 and the Cold War.

The story is told into two halves. The first part focusing on tuna & other maritime
resources such as whales, crabs etc. during the World War II & the 2nd Part focusing on the Cold
War. In the first part of the text, Hee provides the narrative of how Tuna was integral for the
Japanese economy & its usage as food for the Imperial army, it is also mentioned that the
expansion of the Japanese Empire was not merely in the land’s it conquered but the oceans it
controlled as well, and as Tuna is a migratory species across the Pacific, Japan’s control over
the Pacific only strengthens the connection of Tuna as a symbol and resource.

In the second half of the text Hee describes how the Japanese government, independent
actors (in the form of fishermen & other fishery industry related actors) with the help of the U.N
& IOC were able to leverage Japanese fishing expertise & technologies that had roots in
Japanese Imperialism to regain the influence and control it once had in the Pacific and Pacific
Islands after its defeat in WW2.

Historical Framework:

The Historical Framework covers the history of tuna and analyzed through the context of
pelagic focused Japanese Imperialism from WW2 until the Cold War. It focuses on tuna as a
resource and its use as a symbol for Japanese Oceanic Imperialism.

Objective:

Nadine Hee frames tuna not just as a “neutral resource” but as a symbol of Japanese
oceanic imperialism to be viewed through a prism that can be used to show that Japan’s oceanic
imperialism is a trans-war story, a story that spanned from the Japanese Imperial period and
into the Cold War. This narrative isn’t just for people interested in historical economics &
diplomacy, it is also interesting for those who want to see a different narrative and perspective
on the history of Japanese Imperialism.

Researcher’s Arguments
Nadin Hee focuses on the use of tuna as a economic resource and symbol for Japan’s
“Imperialism of the Sea” by providing evidences of its importance during Japan’s control of the
Pacific during WW2 through its armed forces. Hee also discusses the narrative that although
Japan no longer uses its armed forces to control the pacific its “Imperialism of the Sea” is still
alive. Japan used their technological, scientific and artisinal knowledge (which had its roots and
were made available due to the efforts of the Japanese Empire) in regards to fisheries through
knowledge transfers and scientific exchanges facilitated by the UN & independent actors in
order to regain its ability to harvest resources in the Pacific and from its former colonies.

Evidences Presented/Sources Used:

Nadine Hee uses a mix of primary, secondary, and tertiary sources for her paper, though a
majority of the references used are secondary. Mostly published books or articles created by
fellow researchers and academics. Many of her primary sources come from Japanese
government sources or sources affiliated with the U.N and some of her sources come from
magazines.

Her sources come from a mix of English, Japanese and German based texts so some of
them have been difficult to access and understand, yet based on the sources I have been able to
access they seem to be credible, not to mention her work is very rigorous, boasting at least 54
references with publication dates ranging from the 1940-2010’s. All in all, I have no issues with
regards to her citations and references. While I would like to summarize and explain her
sources, that has already been done in her work so doing so would be redundant.

Related works:

Negotiating Migratory Tuna: Territorialization of the Oceans, Trans-War Knowledge

and Fisheries Diplomacy By Nadin Hee

- Territorialization of the Oceans is an excellent accompaniment for the analyzed text “Tuna as
a economic resource & symbolic capital in Japan’s Imperialism of the Sea” because it provides
a more succinct narrative of Japan’s fishery knowledge and fishery diplomacy during the Cold
War in order to gain access to its old fishery resources. While providing examples to the
connections of tuna with Japanese Imperialism of the Sea. However, I highly recommend
reading “Tuna as an economic resource & symbolic capital in Japan’s Imperialism of the Sea”
first because I believe it provides more context and knowledge regarding tuna in the context of
Japanese Imperialism and would allow the reader to better appreciate and understand
“Negotiating Migratory Tuna.”

Hee, N. (2020, April 24). Negotiating Migratory Tuna: Territorialization of the

Oceans, Trans-war Knowledge and Fisheries Diplomacy. Retrieved December
24, 2020, from https://academic.oup.com/dh/article-abstract/44/3/413/5824770

Tsukiji: Tuna the fish that became a world delicacy

While not an official or published scientific paper, this article posted on the
asahi.com that contains various information regarding Tuna such as the various tuna
being caught by Japan and more importantly it provides various Tuna fishing methods,
volume of catches from the years 1950’s-2010’s and various migration patterns of
said tuna. This information may help in better understanding the topic presented by
Ms. Nadin.

Tsukiji. (n.d). Tuna, the fish that became a world delicacy.

Retrieved from: https://www.asahi.com/special/tsukiji/en/tuna/profile/

In Text: Tsukiji. (n.d).

My views

I find Nadin Hee’s narrative and argument to be very compelling. It is difficult to disprove
or argue with her statement not only because of the rigour she has placed in her work but also
because of how compelling and interesting the narrative presented is.

When we think about resources, we don’t usually think of them in a historical context, nor
do we put context upon them beyond their use as a resource. For example, when we think of tea
we don’t usually think about the historical contexts in which it resided but rather its use and
purpose. In other words, we usually look at resource as “neutral” however, when resources are
placed in historical contexts it’s interesting to see the differing kinds of narratives that arise
from such a discussion. Through the analysis of a resource within a nation we might be able to
raise discourse on how said resources may have shaped a nation just like how Nadin Hee has.
Tuna as a resource when viewed through the context of Japanese Imperialism allows us to see
not just tuna as a resource or a symbol but as a shaper of national policies, interests and industry.
In the paper Nadin shows how much importance the Japanese Empire placed on Tuna through
the various researches and policies enacted in the fields of fisheries and from that narrative
point leads us to how Japan was able to use Tuna and the associated techniques, scientific
advances & knowledge the Japanese Empire collected for the better collection of Tuna as a
negotiating tool to help revitalize their economy and regain the trust of the wider global
community after their defeat in WW2.

When viewed from this narrative we can see that Tuna is not just a resource it is a symbol
of something with imperialistic roots and associations used to further Japanese interests and
goals. Whether Tuna at present is still a symbol of Japanese Imperialism is a topic I find to be
debatable.

New information learned/Conclusion:

While most of the new information I have learned has come from the narrative of how
Tuna was used during the Japanese Empire until the Cold War, I think the most important piece
of information I have gained is the new and interesting ways we can place context into
objects/resources that we would otherwise consider as neutral and the various discourses and
narratives that could arise from doing so. The text has been very enlightening to see the
connections between Japan as a pelagic empire and the various threads that connect history
together. Reading the text has provided valuable insight into Japanese culture and reasons as to
why the world is the way it is today.