Japan

modernity

orient

nationality

Japanese

is, for the non-west, above all, the state of being deprived of its own subjectivity. The absence of the self-maintenance wish means that Japanese is not european, and thus, is nothing.

According to Takeuchi, this is the primary definition ofmodernity. For the non-West. modernity means, above all, the stateof being deprived of its own subjectivity. Then does the non-Westhave to acquire its own subjectivity' His answer to this seems toharbor the kind of ambiguity so characteristic of his entire discourse.'For there is no resist.ance, that is, there is no wish to maintain theself (the self itself does not exist). The absence of resistance meansthat Japan is not Oriental. But at the same time, the absence of theself-maintenance wish (no self) means that Japan is not European. This is to say, Japan is nothing.

is neither a cultural, religious, or linguistic unity, nor a unified world. The principle of its identity lies outside itself: What endows it with some vague sense of unity is that the orient is that which is excluded and objectified by the west in the service of its historical progress. From the outset, the orient is a shadow of the west. If the west did not exist. The orient would not exist either.

Meanwhile, Takeuchi points out, the Orient does not connote anyinternal commonality among the names subsumed under it... it rangesfrom regions in the Middle East to those in the Far East. One canhardly find anything religious, linguistic, or cultural that is commonamong those varied areas. The Orient is neither a cultural, religious,or linguistic unity, nor a unified world. The principle of its identitylies outside itself: what endows it with some vague sense of unity isthat the Orient is that which is excluded and objectified by the Westin the service of its historical progress. From the outset, the Orient isa shadow of the West. If the West did not exist. the Orient would notexist either.

TakeuchiThinkers

Takeuchi