Remembering Edwin O. Reischauer

Prof. Reischauer and his Harvard colleage John K. Fairbank essentially invented the field of East Asian studies in American universities. When they wrote the first text and started the first course (known to Harvard undergrads as "Rice Paddies), E. Asia was a financial, political,and cultural backwater, known to Americams mainly for rickshaws and raw fish. But Reischauer in particular could see the coming Asian miracle, and devoted his life to educating Americans about this unknown part of the world. Packard, accurately, refers to E. Asia as "the dark side of the moon" in the years when Reischauer was launching his career. Edwin Reischauer played a pivotal role in US-Japan relations for decades.

He also educated a generation of American students and citizens about the contours of Japan's society and the character of its international role. George R. Packard, a member of Reischauer's U.S. Embassy staff, has provided a fascinating portrait of his life-long friend.Reischauer was also honored in 1985 by the opening of the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), which is part of Johns Hopkins University . Speaking at the dedication ceremonies in Baltimore, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, one of Reischauer's former students, described Reischauer as being "what a teacher is meant to be, one who can change the life of his students." At the same event, Japan's Ambassador Nabuo Matsunaga read a personal message from Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, who observed, "I know of no other man who has so thoroughly understood Japan."

With George M. McCune, Reischauer in 1939 published the McCune–Reischauer system for romanization of the Korean language which became the most widely used system for many years. Reischauer called the Korean alphabet (Hangul) "perhaps the most scientific system of writing in general use in any language."

This book has great stories to tell: the emergence of East Asia as a global powerhouse, the emergence of E.Asian studies as crucial and controversial academic field in the West, and Prof. Reischauer's central role during the key decades of transformation. The power of anti-Communism as a political force in the US after World War II makes a recurring sub-plot to the main narrative. Reischauer continually got in trouble for advocating serious negotiation with mainland China and for his opposition to a war in Vietnam. The author worked for Reischauer and is well-versed on all the political and academic controversies of the time. The result is a fascinating book about a key moment in contemporary world history, and a key player at the heart of a major shift in American foreign policy. In 1964, while serving as Ambassador to Japan, Reischauer was stabbed in an assassination attempt. His attacker was captured and deemed by authorities to be mentally disturbed – he apparently acted alone and had no connection to any group or cause.

In the aftermath of the violence, Japan's Minister of Public Safety was compelled to resign. Reischauer received a blood transfusion and recovered from his wound, but the transfusion infected him with hepatitis. He never fully recovered, and though he continued to work and lead an active life, he died of the complications of hepatitis 26 years later, in September 1990.