Jean Ray ou un regard français sur la politique extérieure du Japon dans les années 1920-1940

Abstract

Jean Ray (1884-1943), the sociologist, law professor and Doctor of Law, was an important bridge between France and Japan during the interwar period. A supporter of imperial Japan and its military expansion, Ray remains important today due to his works on contemporary Japan, from the early Meiji era through to Pearl Harbor, an attack he fully condoned. Although Ray is known for his studies on French law, this article will analyse his historical papers as well as his political and legal assertions. I will attempt to shed light on French historical studies on Japan during the interwar period as well as on relations and understandings between the two countries during the age of colonial empires.

Keywords

• France
• Japan
• Interwar Period
• Colonialism
• Second World War
• Jurist