The development of Japanese studies in Hong Kong

This thesis examines how the Hong Kong mentality has affected the development of Japanese studies in Hong Kong. It first defines the Hong Kong mentality as "insecure" "flexible" and "pragmatic" and analyses the background against which these characteristics developed. It places an emphasis on the unique history of Hong Kong, colonized by the British, once occupied by the Japanese, and finally reunified with China. -- The development of Japanese studies in three different periods is analysed according to the demand for Japanese studies. The Period of Low Demand characterizes Japanese studies from the establishment of colonial Hong Kong until the 1950s, with particular attention to the sense of insecurity Hong Kong people lived under, and the weak Japanese presence in Hong Kong society. The Period of Growth of Demand examines the rapid growth of Japanese studies from the 1960s to the 1980s and discovers that it was due both to a strengthened Japanese presence and pragmatic motivations driving the growth. Finally, the Period of Expansion of Demand describes the current expansion of Japanese studies into new areas. It is analysed that the expansion came about because of new factors such as the penetration of Japanese popular culture into Hong Kong, reduced insecurity, and the introduction of a new education system.