Continuity and change in Japanese-Malaysian relations before and after the Second World War
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Date
1985-01
Authors
Denker, Mehmet Sami
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abstract
This thesis examines the external and domestic
sources of Japanese-Malaysian relations Ln the issue-area
of development and trade. It attempts to show that these
relations constitute an historical continuity, orginating
in the pre-World War II period.
Japanese interest in Malaya on the eve of and
during World War II was premised upon Japan's economic needs
geared ultimately at the control of Malayan natural resources
which were of vital importance to Japanese industries. Japan's
early economic penetration was evident by the presence of a
small but growing Japanese community in Malaya involved in
trade and investment in the pre-war period and by the Japanese
government's economic and political support as well as control
and organization of the Japanese community. Early penetration
was superceded by the direct control of the Malayan economy
through military conquest and administrative control during
the occupation of Malaya in the Second World War.
In the post-World War II period, Japan established
a new set of relations with Malaysia. However the underlying
economic motive remained much the same. Relations were premised upon a need to secure sources of raw materials as well as
markets for Japanese goods, a need for cheap labour and
capital expansion.ยท
Japanese expansion 1n Malaysia was rendered
possible by the favourable balance of payments from the mid-1960's
until the early 1970's, and by the generous support of
the Japanese government to Japanese businessmen. Malaysia's
foreign policy towards Japan was formulated and developed
in the light of her overall orientation towards the external
environmentwhich was in turn conditioned by British control
and ownership of the Malayan economy. This resulted in the
laissez-faire external economic posture.
)t
During Tunku Abdul Rahmari~period, Malaysia's orientation
towards Japan remained cautious due to lingering memories of
the Japanese occupation. and the 'blood debt' issue.
Malaysia-Japanese relations under the Tun Razak and
Tun Hussein Onn administrations became highly active and
significant as a result of new directions contained in the
New Economic Policy (NEP). The new posture of "economic
nationalism" tended to encourage the economic involvement of
new foreign partners which had immediate benefits for Japan. The Japanese investors in Malaysia tended to be more
flexible than other investors, as indicated by their
willingness to be minority shareholders in joint-ventures
and this resulted ~n Japan emerging as the top economic
partner in trade and in investment by 1980
A major finding of the thesis is that the higher
level of Japanese involvement in Malaysia ~n the Tun Razak
and Tun Hussein Onn periods as compared to the Tunku Abdul
Rahman period had resulted in greater Malaysian economic
dependence on Japan. With regards to the sources of Malaysia's
foreign economic policy towards Japan, it was found that
domestic sources have played a dominant role in determining
the actual policy outputs while external sources tended to
define the kinds of foreign policy strategies employed.
Description
Keywords
Japanese-Malaysian relations, development and trade, an historical continuity, and orginating in the pre-World War II period.