This presentation examines cultural imperialism of modern Japan by looking at the Japanese travelogues on Korea. The working mechanism of cultural imperialism is the contest and cooperation between stories of inclusion and exclusion. The Japanese travelogues on Korea began to appear in the 1890s and increased at the turn of the 20th century when the modern tourism began. While comparing and contrasting the travelogues written before and after the Japan's annexation of Korea in 1910, I argue that the stories of exclusion were preponderance before 1910. As Korea became the part of the Japanese empire in 1910, there began to appear the stories of inclusion and to compete with the stories of exclusion. The subtle change was derived from the growing perception developed in Japanese society that recognized the need to efficiently govern and colonize Korea.
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