PanAsianism

Pan-Asianism refers to a family of political ideas that seek solidarity and cooperation among Asian peoples and cultures, with aims ranging from anti-colonial resistance to the creation of a common political or economic order. The term encompasses diverse movements across East, South, and Southeast Asia, and its meaning has shifted with historical context.

The concept emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as Asian thinkers confronted Western imperialism. In China, reformist and nationalist currents folded Pan-Asian ideas into anti-imperialist discourse, often in connection with Sun Yat-sen. In Korea and other parts of Asia, intellectuals debated how Asia might unite to resist colonial domination and foster modernization. In Japan, Pan-Asian rhetoric sometimes articulated genuine anti-Western sentiment but was increasingly linked to state-sponsored expansion. From the 1930s onward, Japanese leaders framed Pan-Asian cooperation as a regional order under Japanese leadership, culminating in the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere during World War II, a project widely criticized as a cover for imperial expansion.

In the postwar era, Pan-Asianism is largely evaluated through the tension between anti-colonial solidarity and imperialist opportunism. Contemporary use tends to emphasize regional cooperation, cultural exchange, and economic integration, rather than conquest. Critics argue that the historical form of Pan-Asianism often served expansionist or nationalist agendas that undermined genuine autonomy for Asian peoples.

See also: Asianism, anti-imperialism, Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.