Diplomatic Salvation: Buddhist Exchanges and Sino-Japanese Rapprochement

Abstract

The end of the Second World War left much of East Asia in ruins. In the decades that followed, the region was radically remapped as old imperial powers crumbled and newly emerged nations worked to rebuild themselves. Among the most important elements that had to be reconstructed during this era were the diplomatic relationships between entities that, only a few years previously, had faced each other across the battlefield or had existed in an unbalanced colonial relationship. As countries in Asia achieved independence or autonomy from colonial regimes, they constructed new national identities and forged new ties with other nations....