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Masafumi Asada

あさだ まさふみ

Asada Masafumi

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1980 （Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tokyo, Japan (birthplace) → Sapporo, Hokkaido (education) → Morioka, Iwate (Iwate University) → Setagaya, Tokyo (Seijo University)

Career

Occupations
Historian, University Professor
Active Years
2006-2025
Affiliations
Seijo University (Faculty of Law, Professor), Iwate University (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Associate Professor), Tohoku University (Tohoku Asia Research Center, research support), The George Washington University (Elliott School, Visiting Researcher), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS, Special Research Fellow)
Memberships
Japan Association of International Relations, Research Association for Modern and Contemporary Northeast Asian Regional History, The Military History Society

Education

Gakushuin University
Faculty of Letters / Department of History
Degree: 学士（文学）
Year of Graduation: 2003
Country: Japan
Hokkaido University
Graduate School of Letters / Historical and Regional Cultural Studies (Slavic Social and Cultural Studies)
Degree: 修士（文学）
Year of Graduation: 2006
Country: Japan
Hokkaido University
Graduate School of Letters / Historical and Regional Cultural Studies (Slavic Social and Cultural Studies)
Degree: 博士（学術）
Year of Graduation: 2011
Country: Japan
Doctoral dissertation: "Management History of Middle Eastern Railways: Russia and 'Manchuria', 1896-1935"

Awards

10th Asia Pacific Research Award (Iue Memorial Prize)
2011
Work: Management History of Middle Eastern Railways: Russia and 'Manchuria', 1896-1935 (doctoral thesis)
Category: 学術
Organization: Asia Pacific Forum (Awaji Conference)
Result: 受賞
8th Kashiyama Junzo Award
2013
Work: Management History of Middle Eastern Railways
Category: 学術書賞
Organization: Kashiyama Junzo Award Committee
Result: 受賞
4th Railway History Society Sumida Encouragement Prize
Organization: Railway History Society
Result: 受賞
28th Shiba Ryotaro Award
2024
Work: The Japan–Soviet War: Imperial Japan's Last Fight
Organization: Shiba Ryotaro Award Committee
Result: 受賞
26th Yomiuri–Yoshino Sakuzo Award
2025
Work: The Japan–Soviet War: Imperial Japan's Last Fight
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Shinsho Taisho (New Paperback Award) 2025 (2nd place)
2025
Work: The Japan–Soviet War: Imperial Japan's Last Fight
Organization: Shinsho Taisho Selection Committee
Result: 2位

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Management History of the Middle Eastern Railways: Russia and 'Manchuria' 1896-1935

2012 History / Academic

An academic study analyzing railway management in relation to Russian activities in Manchuria, exploring interactions among transport, economy, and diplomacy under imperialism.

railway historyRussia–Manchuria relationsimperialism and economic history

Manchuria and Mongolia: The 'Frontline' of Japan, Russia and China

2014 History

A general-audience history explaining the contest for dominance in Manchuria and Mongolia among Japan, Russia, and China, and the region's ethnic and local dynamics.

Manchurian historyinternational relationsregional studies

Siberian Intervention: The Forgotten Seven-Year War of Modern Japan

2016 History

A book revisiting Japan's Siberian Intervention, examining postwar settlements and shifts in international relations for a general readership.

Siberian InterventionJapan–Russia relationspostwar history

Modern Japan–Russia History: A Hundred Years of War and Peace

2018 History

An overview discussing the long-term interplay of war and peace between Japan and Russia through modern history.

Japan–Russia relationsmilitary historydiplomatic history

Chiang Kai-shek's Epistolary Diplomacy: Another Battlefield of the Sino-Japanese War (Vols. 1–2)

2021 History

A two-volume study using Chiang Kai-shek's correspondence to analyze diplomacy and politics during the Sino-Japanese War from multiple angles.

Chiang Kai-shekSino–Japanese Wardiplomatic history

The Japan–Soviet War: Imperial Japan's Last Fight

2024 History

Based on newly examined sources, this work clarifies the reality of the Japan–Soviet War, situating Imperial Japan's end within regional history. It won the Shiba Ryotaro Award.

Japan–Soviet relationsmilitary historyend-of-war period history

Bibliography

  • Management History of the Middle Eastern Railways: Russia and 'Manchuria' 1896-1935
  • Manchuria and Mongolia: The 'Frontline' of Japan, Russia and China
  • Siberian Intervention: The Forgotten Seven-Year War of Modern Japan
  • Modern Japan–Russia History: A Hundred Years of War and Peace
  • Chiang Kai-shek's Epistolary Diplomacy: Another Battlefield of the Sino-Japanese War (Vols. 1–2)
  • The Japan–Soviet War: Imperial Japan's Last Fight

Style & Themes

Literary Style
evidence-based empirical narrationaccessible exposition of scholarly analysiscomparative perspective in international relations history
Recurring Motifs
railways and empirethe culture of warintersection of region and state

Legacy

A historian noted for using new sources in modern Russia–East Asia history—particularly railway history and Japan–Russia relations. He has authored works for general audiences as well, bridging academic scholarship and the public sphere.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Association of International Relations
  • Research Association for Modern and Contemporary Northeast Asian Regional History
  • The Military History Society

Quotes

  • Russia repeats a 'culture of war' in various places, which is also evident in the current war in Ukraine.
    Source: Nishinippon Shimbun (interview article) (2024)

Trivia

  • Born in 1980 in Tokyo.
  • Earned a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) from Hokkaido University in 2011.
  • Won the 28th Shiba Ryotaro Award in 2024 for 'The Japan–Soviet War' and the 26th Yomiuri–Yoshino Sakuzo Award in 2025.
  • Specializes in modern Russia and East Asia history, with research focusing on railway history and international relations.