La Grande Guerra vista dall'Asia. Neutralità e intervento dell'Italia nelle riviste giapponesi, 1914-1915

From the outbreak of the Great War in the summer of 1914, the Japanese press observed at distance Italy’s troubled path from neutrality to intervention. For ten months, commentators discussed the reasons for the Italian de facto withdrawal from the Triple Alliance and the prospects for war against Austria. Then, looking back after May 1915, they reassessed comprehensively this turning point in Italian history. This paper, complementing previous research on newspapers, covers three popular magazines and the main journal on foreign affairs. Analysis dwells in particular on the evaluation of Irredentist claims and rumours on the secret Treaty of London. Articles examined not only shed light on the image of Italy held at the time in Japan, but also illustrate the observers’ realist approach to international relations.