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Networking the International System pp 53–72Cite as

Activities and Discourses on International Cultural Relations in Modern Japan: The Making of KBS (Kokusai Bunka Shinko Kai), 1934–1953

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Abstract

KBS (Kokusai Bunka Shinkokai, the Center for International Cultural Relations) was the first national institution for international cultural policy in modern Japan. It was established in 1934 and concluded its function in 1972 when the Japan Foundation (Kokusai Koryu Kikin, 1972 to the present), its new successor, absorbed most of its activities.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This chapter is mainly based on Shibasaki (1999a) with some refinements. See also Shibasaki (1997, 1999b).

  2. 2.

    On the foundation of the Japan-America Student Conference, see Shibasaki (1999d).

  3. 3.

    Further information can be found in the Lonsea database (www.lonsea.de).

  4. 4.

    Shinobu (1871–1962) was a professor at Waseda University. He had been a diplomat for 20 years before becoming a lecturer at the university. He wrote many articles in newspapers as well as publishing textbooks on international law, diplomatic history, and international politics.

  5. 5.

    Okabe (1884–1970) was born of a noble family and started his career as a talented bureaucrat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Later he turned to politics, and in 1930 he became a member of the House of Peers. During the war he served as minister of education. After World War II, he became a director of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOMAT) and a president of KBS.

  6. 6.

    When referring to this ‘misperception,’ they often cited the famous poem by Rudyard Kipling: “Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet, Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat.” They regarded it as their mission to conquer this misperception by promoting mutual understanding through cultural activities.

  7. 7.

    Tamon Maeda was president of this institute and later became the minister of education. Among the visitor list we can find the names of Edwin O. Reischauer, John K. Fairbank, and Arturo Toscanini.

  8. 8.

    What Dan refers to here is that although most Japanese people, including Dan, preferred the natural feel and color of wood, some Americans did not understand this sense of beauty and ruined Japanese artifacts with ‘improvements.’

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Global Media Studies, Komazawa University, Tokyo, Japan

    Atsushi Shibasaki

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  1. Atsushi Shibasaki
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Correspondence to Atsushi Shibasaki .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for European Global Studies, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

    Madeleine Herren

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Shibasaki, A. (2014). Activities and Discourses on International Cultural Relations in Modern Japan: The Making of KBS (Kokusai Bunka Shinko Kai), 1934–1953. In: Herren, M. (eds) Networking the International System. Transcultural Research – Heidelberg Studies on Asia and Europe in a Global Context. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04211-4_5

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