Shōichi Watanabe facts for kids

Shōichi Watanabe (渡部 昇一, Watanabe Shōichi, 15 September 1930 – 17 April 2017) was a Japanese scholar who studied the English language. He was also known as a cultural critic in Japan. He had strong opinions about Japanese history.

He was born in Tsuruoka, which is in Yamagata Prefecture. He studied at Sophia University in Japan, where he earned his Master’s degree. Later, he went to Germany and completed his doctorate at the University of Münster in 1958. He wrote two books about his experiences while living in Germany.

After finishing his studies, he returned to Sophia University. He worked there as a lecturer, then an assistant professor, and finally a full professor. He retired from teaching but continued to be an emeritus professor at the university until he passed away. Shōichi Watanabe loved collecting books and was the chairman of the Japan Bibliophile Society. His collection of books on English philology (the study of language in historical and cultural context) was very important. It included many rare books, which helped the study of English philology in Japan.

Early Life and Education

Shōichi Watanabe was born and grew up in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture.

After getting his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Sophia University, he continued his studies. He went to the University of Münster in Germany. There, he earned his Dr.Phil. degree in 1958. He also spent some time as a research student at Jesus College at Oxford University in England. His doctoral thesis was written in German and was about the history of English grammar. This important work was later translated into both Japanese and English.

In 1960, he started working at Sophia University. The University of Münster gave him an honorary Dr. Phil. degree in 1994. In 2001, he became a Professor Emeritus at Sophia University. This title is given to retired professors who are still highly respected.

He passed away on April 17, 2017, at a hospital in Suginami, Tokyo. He was 86 years old and died from heart failure.

Views on History

Shōichi Watanabe was a conservative thinker. He was connected to an organization called Nippon Kaigi. He was known for having different views on certain historical events. For example, he believed that the Nanking Massacre was not as it is commonly described. He thought the killings were mostly soldiers fighting against guerrilla fighters. He defined a "massacre" as an attack on civilians with many victims, more than 40 or 50 people. His ideas were similar to what some Japanese generals said during the War Crimes Trial in Tokyo in 1948.

He also had strong opinions about the Japanese history textbook controversies. These controversies were about how Japanese history should be taught in schools. Watanabe disagreed with most newspaper writers. He supported the Education Ministry's right to change what was written in textbooks.

Watanabe believed that the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937, which led to a big war with China, was a secret plan by the Chinese Communist Party. He thought that history books from before World War II were more accurate than those used today.

Shōichi Watanabe remained a debated figure in Japan. He was not very well-known outside of Japan, even in his own field of study. He often spoke about the "Japanese spirit" and wrote many books on the topic.