ASA04001 East Asian History

Hiroshima University Syllabus

Japanese

Academic Year 2026Year School/Graduate School School of Integrated Arts and Sciences Department of Integrated Arts and Sciences

Lecture Code ASA04001 Subject Classification Specialized Education

Subject Name 東アジア地域史

Subject Name
（Katakana）ヒガシアジアチイキシ

Subject Name in
English East Asian History

Instructor GAO XIAOYAN

Instructor
(Katakana) コウ　ギョウゲン

Campus Higashi-Hiroshima Semester/Term 2nd-Year,  First Semester,  2Term

Days, Periods, and Classrooms (2T) Tues5-8：IAS K314

Lesson Style Lecture Lesson Style
(More Details) Face-to-face

Credits 2.0 Class Hours/Week 4 Language of Instruction J : Japanese

Course Level 3 : Undergraduate High-Intermediate

Course Area（Area） 23 : Arts and Humanities

Course Area（Discipline） 07 : History

Eligible Students

Keywords Asian history, premodern period, modern period, autocratic imperial state, tributary and investiture system, nation-state, nation-state building, nationalism, rule of law, democracy, socialism

Special Subject for Teacher Education 　 Special Subject 　

Class Status
within Educational
Program
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
Criterion referenced
Evaluation
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students) Integrated Arts and Sciences
（Knowledge and Understanding）
・Knowledge and understanding of the importance and characteristics of each discipline and basic theoretical framework.
・The knowledge and understanding  to fully recognize the mutual relations and their importance among individual academic diciplines.
（Abilities and Skills）
・The ability and skills to collect and analyze necessary literature or data among various sources of information on individual academic disciplines.

Class Objectives
/Class Outline Modern East Asia began with the Western impact. Concepts that originated in Europe—the nation-state, nationalism, democracy, and the rule of law—prompted fundamental transformations in East Asia’s distinctive patterns of regional international relations and domestic governance. This course examines the modern history of East Asia from three perspectives: the construction of the nation-state, the development of democracy, and the development of the rule of law. Through a comparative analysis of China and Japan, students will explore how these concepts emerged in the West, how they were introduced into East Asia, and how they were received and adapted in the region.

Class Schedule lesson1 Orientation
lesson2 What does “Modernity” means for East Asia?
lesson3 Premodern East Asia (1): Imperial Autocracy and the Bakuhan System—Different Mechanisms of Political Authority and State Capacity
lesson4 Premodern East Asia (2): Discourse and Reality of the Tributary System
lesson5 Nation-State Building in East Asia (1): What Is a Nation-State? What is Nationalism?
lesson6 Nation-State Building in East Asia (2): Nation-State Construction in China and Japan
lesson7 Nation-State Building in East Asia (3): The Development of Nationalism in China and Japan
lesson8 Nation-State Building in East Asia (4): Reconsidering the “Penetration of State Power”
lesson9 The Development and Setbacks of Democracy in East Asia (1): Constitutionalism, Liberalism, Democracy, and Japan
lesson10 The Development and Setbacks of Democracy in East Asia (2): The Kuomintang’s “Three-Stage Theory”
lesson11 The Development and Setbacks of Democracy in East Asia (3): Democratic Centralism, Collective Leadership, and Personal Rule in the Chinese Communist Party
lesson12 Politics and the Rule of Law in East Asia (1): The Formation of the Rechtsstaat and Japan
lesson13 Politics and the Rule of Law in East Asia (2): Achievements and Limitations in the Construction of a Modern Judicial System in the Republic of China
lesson14 Politics and the Rule of Law in East Asia (3): “Socialist Legality” and the “People’s Judiciary” in the Chinese Communist Party
lesson15 Conclusion
A final examination will be conducted in which handwritten or printed materials are permitted

Text/Reference
Books,etc. Reference Materials:
Max Weber. Economy and Society: A New Translation. Volume I: On Domination (Bureaucracy, Patrimonialism, Feudalism). Translated by Keith Tribe. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2019.
Anthony Giddens. The Nation-State and Violence. Oxford: Polity Press, 1992.
[IN JAPANESE] Ishikawa Yoshihiro. Chūgoku Kyōsantō, Sono Hyakunen. Tokyo: Chikuma Shobō, 2021.
[IN JAPANESE] Takahashi Nobuo. Chūgoku Kyōsantō no Rekishi. Tokyo: Keio University Press, 2021.
[IN JAPANESE] Yoshizawa Seiichirō. Shinchō to Kindai Sekai. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 2010.
[IN JAPANESE] Ishikawa Yoshihiro. Kakumei to Nashonarizumu. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 2010.
[IN JAPANESE] Kawashima Shin. Kindai Kokka e no Mosaku. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 2010.
[IN JAPANESE] Kubo Tōru. Shakaishugi e no Chōsen. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 2011.
[IN JAPANESE] Takahara Akio and Maeda Hiroko. Kaihatsushugi no Jidai e. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 2014.
[IN JAPANESE] Nishimura Shigeo. Chūgoku no Kingendaishi o Dō Miru ka. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 2017.
[IN JAPANESE] Kitaoka Shinichi. Nihon Seijishi: Gaikō to Kenryoku (Expanded Edition). Tokyo: Yūhikaku, 2017.
[IN JAPANESE] Matsumoto Kenichi. Nihon no Kindai 1: Kaikoku Ishin 1853–1871. Tokyo: Chūō Kōron Shinsha, 2012.
[IN JAPANESE] Sakamoto Takao. Nihon no Kindai 2: Meiji Kokka no Kensetsu 1871–1890. Tokyo: Chūō Kōron Shinsha, 2012.
[IN JAPANESE] Mikuriya Takashi. Nihon no Kindai 3: Meiji Kokka no Kansei 1890–1905. Tokyo: Chūō Kōron Shinsha, 2012.
[IN JAPANESE] Arima Manabu. Nihon no Kindai 4: “Kokusai-ka” no Naka no Teikoku Nihon 1905–1924. Tokyo: Chūō Kōron Shinsha, 2013.
[IN JAPANESE] Kitaoka Shinichi. Nihon no Kindai 5: Seitō kara Gunbu e 1924–1941. Tokyo: Chūō Kōron Shinsha, 2013.
[IN JAPANESE] Iokibe Makoto. Nihon no Kindai 6: Sensō, Senryō, Kōwa 1941–1955. Tokyo: Chūō Kōron Shinsha, 2013.

PC or AV used in
Class,etc.

(More Details)

Learning techniques to be incorporated

Suggestions on
Preparation and
Review lesson 1: Understand the concept of “area”
Lesson 2: Develop an understanding of the concept of “modernity” through engagement with major theoretical perspectives.
Lesson 3: Understand the differences in state capacity between China and Japan in the premodern period.
Lesson 4: Understand the structure of the premodern international order in East Asia.
Lesson 5: Understand the definitions of the nation-state and nationalism, taking into account their origins in Europe. Also, develop a basic understanding of the structure of the nation-state and the major typologies of nationalism.
Lesson 6: Students will understand the similarities and differences in nation-state building in China and Japan.
Lesson 7: Understand how nationalism developed in China and Japan. Pay close attention to the evolution of nationalism in Japan and the emergence of the concept of the “Chinese Nation” (Zhonghua minzu) in China.
Lesson 8: Understand the meaning of “state power” in light of recent scholarly debates.
Lesson 9: Understand the similarities and differences among constitutionalism, liberalism, and democracy. Understand the process in Japan from the promulgation of the Meiji Constitution to the expansion of universal male suffrage, and from the consolidation to the collapse of party politics.
Lesson 10: Pay close attention to the process of seeking to establish democracy in China after the Xinhai Revolution, with particular attention to the Kuomintang’s “Three-Stage Theory.”
Lesson 11: Understand conceptions of “democracy” developed in opposition to liberal democracy within a Leninist framework. Understand how democratic centralism, collective leadership, and a system of personal rule were formed within the Chinese Communist Party.
Lesson 12: Understand how the concept of the Rechtsstaat emerged and how it was introduced into East Asia.
Lesson 13: Understand the achievements and limitations of efforts to construct a modern judicial system in the Republic of China.
Lesson 14: Understand the relationship between the state and the law in socialist states, and understand how the concept of Socialist Legality emerged, how it was introduced into China in the 1950s, and how it was received.
Lesson 15: Conclusion.

Requirements None

Grading Method In class performance (40%), Final examination (60%).

Practical Experience

Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it

Message The instructor will offer off-course Q&A in English. However, please note that this course is conducted entirely in Japanese. A Japanese language proficiency level equivalent or above JLPT N1 is required to participate. Although the final examination will not assess Japanese writing ability itself, an advance level of Japanese listening and writing proficiency is required. The instructor will not provide accommodations or remedies for students who underperform due to language proficiency issues.

Other

Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes.
Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching.

Academic Year	2026Year	School/Graduate School	School of Integrated Arts and Sciences Department of Integrated Arts and Sciences
Lecture Code	ASA04001	Subject Classification	Specialized Education
Subject Name	東アジア地域史
Subject Name （Katakana）	ヒガシアジアチイキシ
Subject Name in English	East Asian History
Instructor	GAO XIAOYAN
Instructor (Katakana)	コウ　ギョウゲン
Campus	Higashi-Hiroshima	Semester/Term	2nd-Year, First Semester, 2Term
Days, Periods, and Classrooms	(2T) Tues5-8：IAS K314
Lesson Style	Lecture	Lesson Style (More Details)	Face-to-face

Credits	2.0	Class Hours/Week	4	Language of Instruction	J : Japanese
Course Level	3 : Undergraduate High-Intermediate
Course Area（Area）	23 : Arts and Humanities
Course Area（Discipline）	07 : History
Eligible Students
Keywords	Asian history, premodern period, modern period, autocratic imperial state, tributary and investiture system, nation-state, nation-state building, nationalism, rule of law, democracy, socialism
Special Subject for Teacher Education		Special Subject
Class Status within Educational Program (Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
Criterion referenced Evaluation (Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)	Integrated Arts and Sciences （Knowledge and Understanding）・Knowledge and understanding of the importance and characteristics of each discipline and basic theoretical framework. ・The knowledge and understanding to fully recognize the mutual relations and their importance among individual academic diciplines. （Abilities and Skills）・The ability and skills to collect and analyze necessary literature or data among various sources of information on individual academic disciplines.
Class Objectives /Class Outline	Modern East Asia began with the Western impact. Concepts that originated in Europe—the nation-state, nationalism, democracy, and the rule of law—prompted fundamental transformations in East Asia’s distinctive patterns of regional international relations and domestic governance. This course examines the modern history of East Asia from three perspectives: the construction of the nation-state, the development of democracy, and the development of the rule of law. Through a comparative analysis of China and Japan, students will explore how these concepts emerged in the West, how they were introduced into East Asia, and how they were received and adapted in the region.
Class Schedule	lesson1 Orientation lesson2 What does “Modernity” means for East Asia? lesson3 Premodern East Asia (1): Imperial Autocracy and the Bakuhan System—Different Mechanisms of Political Authority and State Capacity lesson4 Premodern East Asia (2): Discourse and Reality of the Tributary System lesson5 Nation-State Building in East Asia (1): What Is a Nation-State? What is Nationalism? lesson6 Nation-State Building in East Asia (2): Nation-State Construction in China and Japan lesson7 Nation-State Building in East Asia (3): The Development of Nationalism in China and Japan lesson8 Nation-State Building in East Asia (4): Reconsidering the “Penetration of State Power” lesson9 The Development and Setbacks of Democracy in East Asia (1): Constitutionalism, Liberalism, Democracy, and Japan lesson10 The Development and Setbacks of Democracy in East Asia (2): The Kuomintang’s “Three-Stage Theory” lesson11 The Development and Setbacks of Democracy in East Asia (3): Democratic Centralism, Collective Leadership, and Personal Rule in the Chinese Communist Party lesson12 Politics and the Rule of Law in East Asia (1): The Formation of the Rechtsstaat and Japan lesson13 Politics and the Rule of Law in East Asia (2): Achievements and Limitations in the Construction of a Modern Judicial System in the Republic of China lesson14 Politics and the Rule of Law in East Asia (3): “Socialist Legality” and the “People’s Judiciary” in the Chinese Communist Party lesson15 Conclusion A final examination will be conducted in which handwritten or printed materials are permitted
Text/Reference Books,etc.	Reference Materials: Max Weber. Economy and Society: A New Translation. Volume I: On Domination (Bureaucracy, Patrimonialism, Feudalism). Translated by Keith Tribe. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2019. Anthony Giddens. The Nation-State and Violence. Oxford: Polity Press, 1992. [IN JAPANESE] Ishikawa Yoshihiro. Chūgoku Kyōsantō, Sono Hyakunen. Tokyo: Chikuma Shobō, 2021. [IN JAPANESE] Takahashi Nobuo. Chūgoku Kyōsantō no Rekishi. Tokyo: Keio University Press, 2021. [IN JAPANESE] Yoshizawa Seiichirō. Shinchō to Kindai Sekai. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 2010. [IN JAPANESE] Ishikawa Yoshihiro. Kakumei to Nashonarizumu. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 2010. [IN JAPANESE] Kawashima Shin. Kindai Kokka e no Mosaku. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 2010. [IN JAPANESE] Kubo Tōru. Shakaishugi e no Chōsen. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 2011. [IN JAPANESE] Takahara Akio and Maeda Hiroko. Kaihatsushugi no Jidai e. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 2014. [IN JAPANESE] Nishimura Shigeo. Chūgoku no Kingendaishi o Dō Miru ka. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 2017. [IN JAPANESE] Kitaoka Shinichi. Nihon Seijishi: Gaikō to Kenryoku (Expanded Edition). Tokyo: Yūhikaku, 2017. [IN JAPANESE] Matsumoto Kenichi. Nihon no Kindai 1: Kaikoku Ishin 1853–1871. Tokyo: Chūō Kōron Shinsha, 2012. [IN JAPANESE] Sakamoto Takao. Nihon no Kindai 2: Meiji Kokka no Kensetsu 1871–1890. Tokyo: Chūō Kōron Shinsha, 2012. [IN JAPANESE] Mikuriya Takashi. Nihon no Kindai 3: Meiji Kokka no Kansei 1890–1905. Tokyo: Chūō Kōron Shinsha, 2012. [IN JAPANESE] Arima Manabu. Nihon no Kindai 4: “Kokusai-ka” no Naka no Teikoku Nihon 1905–1924. Tokyo: Chūō Kōron Shinsha, 2013. [IN JAPANESE] Kitaoka Shinichi. Nihon no Kindai 5: Seitō kara Gunbu e 1924–1941. Tokyo: Chūō Kōron Shinsha, 2013. [IN JAPANESE] Iokibe Makoto. Nihon no Kindai 6: Sensō, Senryō, Kōwa 1941–1955. Tokyo: Chūō Kōron Shinsha, 2013.
PC or AV used in Class,etc.
(More Details)
Learning techniques to be incorporated
Suggestions on Preparation and Review	lesson 1: Understand the concept of “area” Lesson 2: Develop an understanding of the concept of “modernity” through engagement with major theoretical perspectives. Lesson 3: Understand the differences in state capacity between China and Japan in the premodern period. Lesson 4: Understand the structure of the premodern international order in East Asia. Lesson 5: Understand the definitions of the nation-state and nationalism, taking into account their origins in Europe. Also, develop a basic understanding of the structure of the nation-state and the major typologies of nationalism. Lesson 6: Students will understand the similarities and differences in nation-state building in China and Japan. Lesson 7: Understand how nationalism developed in China and Japan. Pay close attention to the evolution of nationalism in Japan and the emergence of the concept of the “Chinese Nation” (Zhonghua minzu) in China. Lesson 8: Understand the meaning of “state power” in light of recent scholarly debates. Lesson 9: Understand the similarities and differences among constitutionalism, liberalism, and democracy. Understand the process in Japan from the promulgation of the Meiji Constitution to the expansion of universal male suffrage, and from the consolidation to the collapse of party politics. Lesson 10: Pay close attention to the process of seeking to establish democracy in China after the Xinhai Revolution, with particular attention to the Kuomintang’s “Three-Stage Theory.” Lesson 11: Understand conceptions of “democracy” developed in opposition to liberal democracy within a Leninist framework. Understand how democratic centralism, collective leadership, and a system of personal rule were formed within the Chinese Communist Party. Lesson 12: Understand how the concept of the Rechtsstaat emerged and how it was introduced into East Asia. Lesson 13: Understand the achievements and limitations of efforts to construct a modern judicial system in the Republic of China. Lesson 14: Understand the relationship between the state and the law in socialist states, and understand how the concept of Socialist Legality emerged, how it was introduced into China in the 1950s, and how it was received. Lesson 15: Conclusion.
Requirements	None
Grading Method	In class performance (40%), Final examination (60%).
Practical Experience
Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it
Message	The instructor will offer off-course Q&A in English. However, please note that this course is conducted entirely in Japanese. A Japanese language proficiency level equivalent or above JLPT N1 is required to participate. Although the final examination will not assess Japanese writing ability itself, an advance level of Japanese listening and writing proficiency is required. The instructor will not provide accommodations or remedies for students who underperform due to language proficiency issues.
Other
Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes. Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching.

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