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Accepted Paper:
Esperantist’s Peace Practice in Japan during World War II: The Case of ISHIGA Osamu
Kazumi Kamimura
(Josai University)
ISHIGA Osamu, known as an Esperantist who refused military service from a defeatist standpoint, joined “War Resisters International” through Esperanto. In this presentation, I will trace the trajectory of his intellectual struggle against fascism and communism.
Paper long abstract:
Since the end of the Meiji period, Esperanto in Japan was propagated by intellectuals from various positions, but it is no exaggeration to say that it was socialists who most closely followed the spirit of Zamenhof, the founder of Esperanto and experiencer of pogroms. In particular, the proletarian Esperanto movement that flourished in the 1930s advocated the prevention of Japan's colonial policies and imperialist wars and the fight against ethnic discrimination. However, not all Esperantists who spoke out against the war in Japan at that time were of a leftist persuasion.
ISHIGA Osamu, known as an Esperantist who refused military service from a defeatist standpoint, joined “War Resisters International” through Esperanto. While sympathizing with communism, he opposed the war and tried to maintain a pacifist stance.
In this presentation, I will trace the trajectory of ISHIGA's intellectual struggle against Communism to reveal the problems of the proletarian Esperanto movement in Japan, and I will also examine the effectiveness and limits of Esperanto in the face of the suppression of thought and speech in Japan as well as actual warfare. My presentation will examine the possibilities of the spirit of Esperanto in the new century of war and division.