Japanese Colonialism in Comparative Perspective

This article examines the economic consequences of Japanese colonialism in Taiwan, Korea, and Manchuria between 1910 and 1945 and compares Japanese policies with those implemented by other colonial powers in Southeast Asia. In particular it addresses the writings of an influential group of American scholars who have published widely on Japanese colonial policies over the last fifty years. Their work has been used to support the argument that Japanese colonial policy was more developmental than that of other colonial powers and laid the foundations for the stellar economic performance of Taiwan and the Republic of Korea in the decades after 1950. To challenge this argument, this article compares a number of economic and social indicators in Korea, Taiwan, and Manchuria with those from other Asian colonies, as well as Thailand and showing that while the Japanese colonies, especially Taiwan, score well on some indicators, they do less well on others. The idea of Japanese exceptionalism cannot be accepted uncritically.