The ‘Reischauer Offensive’: A Scholar-Diplomat’s Challenge to Japan’s Leftist Intellectuals, 1961–1966

Abstract The article discusses Edwin O. Reischauer’s role in the scholarly debates on the modern history of Japan during his ambassadorship from 1961 to 1966. It challenges Takeshi Matsuda’s recent interpretation in his Soft Power, and Its Perils: U.S. Cultural Policy in Early Postwar Japan and Permanent Dependency that the “Reischauer Offensive” aimed to make Japan feel subservient, creating “a psychology of dependence.” The article argues instead that Reischauer’s efforts for “equal partnership” and his scholarly challenge to Marxists' interpretation brought a culture of open debate in Japan.