Perspectives of the Japan-Bengal Relationship
Probir Bikash Sarker
The modern Japan-India relation has been started since 1902 through a historical meeting
between two great intellectual Tenshin Okakura and Rabindranath Tagore in Calcutta
(presently renamed Kolkata) the capital of the British ruled India. At the same time there
was a movement in the capital on reviving Bengali traditional culture and arts which is
known ‘The Bengal Renaissance.’ Tenshin was deeply impressed by the movement as
because he had also started the same thing in Japan. After returning to Japan he sent two
distinguish artists Taikan Yokoyama and Kanzan Shimomura to Kolkata. Where they met
Rabindranath Tagore and his relative renowned artist Abonindranath Tagore. They
exchanged their opinion, artistic views, method of teachings etc. Then, in 1916
Rabindranath Tagore and some of his friends finally visited Japan for the first time what
he had deserved since meeting with Tenshin. Shibusawa Eiichi the 3rd president of the
Indo-Japanese Association invited the Poet to visit Japan. The Indo-Japanese Association
that was founded by influential politician Shigenobu Ookuma in the year of 1903.
There was one of the main purposes behind the building of the Tenshin-Tagore or
Japan-India ties are protecting the oriental spirituality through bilateral cultural and
educational understanding. Which was moved forward until 2nd World War (1945) and
climbing up extreme position in 1961 by celebrating Tagore’s Centenary in Japan. There
is no doubt that Tenshin and Tagore both were true nationalists over the understanding of
internationalism. Tenshin found the flow of cultural and spiritual similarity through his
journey to China and India to be realized a revealed truth: ‘Asia is One’, which was
supported by Tagore and other Indian nationalist politician, intellectual and revolutionist
like Rasbehari Bose, Subhash Chandra Bose; in Japan Pan-Asianist like Mitsuru Toyama,
Ryohei Uchida, Yasaburo Shimonaka, Dr.Kunihiko Ookura, Dr.Kunihiko Oobara and
many more. Even the prime minister of Japan Hideki Tojo also concerned the matter and
due to the reason the phrase became a spiritual slogan for ‘The Great Asia War’ occurred
between Japan and America in 1941.
It is India, which was deeply influenced by the Meiji-ishin (The Meiji Restoration)
from Meiji to Showa period. The Japanese spiritual thinker Tenshin brightened the
movement while he was in Kolkata . He was involved secretly with ‘The Anushilan
Shomiti’ an secret revolutionary organization, that was so powerful to be spread
throughout Bengal very shortly. Just after two years of Tenshin’s visiting India a tiny
island nation Japan shocked the Indian prominent politicians like M.Gandhi, J.Neheru,
B.V.Patel, B.G.Tilak, L.L.Rai, G.K.Gokhle, B.C.Pal, R.Ghosh, S.C.Bose and many more
by her victory over Russo-Japanese War (1904-5). It was a landmark incident in Asia to
move not only British colony India, but also every European-dominated country in the
continent.
So, naturally Indian revolutionists had become inclined to Japan, one of them is
Rasbehari Bose left India for seeking political asylum in 1915. He was helped and
protected by Mitsuru Toyama, an influential leader of the Peoples’ Freedom Movement
and political secret organization ‘Genyosha.’ This incident is very significant for Indian
independence history.
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If Rasbehari Bose did not come to Japan what would have happened in Indian
national movement, it is now beyond of imagine. He spent almost his life in Japan and
other Asian countries to collect money, buying arms, organizing secret movements in
motherland, forming INA (Indian National Army) and finally calling Subhash Chandra
Bose to Japan exiled in Germany for taking the leadership of INA. These great activities
of Behari Bose had been completely done by his spiritual efforts with support of Mitsuru
Toyama, Herambolal Gupta, Aizo and Kokko Soma (The owners of famous
‘Nakamuraya’ of Shinjuku district in Tokyo, also they were his Father and Mother-inLaw); A.M.Nair, Ryohei Uchida, Shumei Ookawa, Toten Miyazaki, Dr.Terao Touru,
Masaaki Tanaka like many others those were politically active at the time.
He had given the title Netaji (Leader) to Subhash Chandra Bose during the congress
of INA in Singapore in 1942. Netaji convinced Prime Minister Tojo and other
government leaders to help India getting Independence from British rule. With
collaboration of INA Japanese solders fought for 3 years but did not achieve the goal;
Japan defeated to America. But the people of India were still in fighting against the
British government for freeing their motherland. After defeating of Imphal operation
Nataji has gone into hiding; as a result government became feared of him.
Gradually British rulers threatened under collapse of mounting non-cooperation
movements all over the India, finally the British Imperial Rulers had to free India from
their 200 year-old colonial oppression. It is needless to say that on sacrifice of Japanese
people and her government India got its long deserved independence in 1947.
On the other hand, after the war, another Indian genius Justice Dr.Radhabinod Pal,
who was actually born in the then East Bengal presently Bangladesh, probated as one of
the Judge of International Military Tribunal for the Far East (Tokyo Tribunal) by Allied
Powers. Dr.Pal as a true nationalist was moved deeply by Japanese victory over RussoJapanese War in Meiji period, showed his braveness by given a dissent judgement in the
trial. He found no international law in the court to be considered for verdict of accused
criminals as guilty. Its not a true and reasonable trial but only a ‘Victor’s Justice’ to fulfill
their desire for vegeance, he argued. Even he raised his voice against America’s deeds in
Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the war. If Japanese Imperial soulders are guilty for
killing innocent people in Manchuria, China, why not Americans? They are also bear the
same responsibilty of killing thousends of innocent people with two Atom Bombs! It was
the notorious crimes comitted by America that can be compared to German Nazi did in
Europe. So it was very much difficult for him to deliver a judgement against the Japanese
war criminals because he was such a man never enslaved his head to any offence in his
life, so he decleared every war criminals accused of.
He became famous for his verdict not only in Japan but all over the world. In 1952 he
visited Japan for the 2nd time presiding at a world peace conference held in Hiroshima
with his friend Shimonaka Yasaburo, President of Heibonsha Publisher, also Chairman of
Japan World Fedaration Movement. Due to friendship with Shimonaka he became
renownd world peace activist in India and Japan for the rest of his life.
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He received the First Order of the Sacred Treasure from the hand of Emperor of
Japan in 1966 for contribution to building the Japan-India relationship. According to his
accounts he loved Japan and Japanese people very much. For paying honour to his
memories ‘Pal-Shimonaka Memorial Meseum’ had been built in Hakone, Kanagawa
prefecture in 1974. There are two monuments of Radhabonod Pal built recently one in
Kyoto another in Yasukuni Shrine compound, in Kudanshita, Tokyo, proving how
Japanese people are respecting him!
Being a citizen of Bangladesh we are very proud of them as because they had laid
foundation of Japan-Bengal relationship. There are lot of events enriched the history of
the relations over the years.
05.09.2007
Tokyo.Japan
Probir Bikash Sarker, Poet, Writer, Researcher also Editor of Manchitro magazine
ProbirSarker@manchitro.net
probirbikashsarker@gmail.com
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