From ally to menace: Canadian attitudes and policies toward Japanese imperialism, 1929--1939

Few historians consider the 1930s as the formative period of Canada's relations with the Far East. This thesis seeks to redress this neglect by examining Canadian attitudes and policies toward Japanese imperialism from the opening of Canada's legation in Tokyo in 1929 to the outbreak of war in Europe a decade later. These years marked the high point of Canada's business, missionary and diplomatic involvement in the region, a story overlooked by historians. This study will assess the views of Canadian diplomats, missionaries, traders and interest groups to trace the change in Canada's perception toward the Empire of the Sun. During this period, Canadians initially viewed Japan as an imperial ally, its presence in the region as benign as British imperialism elsewhere. By the late 1930s, Japan would be perceived as a potential menace to Canadian security. How and why this change occurred among Canadians concerned by the Far East is the focus of this study.; Canada's dealings with Japan during this period reveal much about its own evolving role in world affairs. Seeking to establish itself internationally, the young Dominion opened its third legation in a nation soon to leave this global order. Over the decade, Ottawa looked to London and Washington in formulating its response to growing turbulence in the Far East. While recent scholarship has examined Japanese imperialism during this period, little has been written on Western reaction to it. This thesis provides a case study of how one Western power, albeit a minor one, dealt with an increasingly wayward member of the international community. Historians have overlooked this episode and the insights it provides into the impact of pressure groups and Ottawa's position on collective security. Although European events would dominate Canadian foreign affairs in the 1930s, a consideration of the changing perceptions toward Japan adds a new dimension to our understanding of this period.