This essay discusses the distinctive features of the writings of Epifanio San Juan, Jr. with special reference to his interpretation of postcolonial theory. After demonstrating the significance of postcolonial theories from a Japanese perspective, San Juan’s approach toward postcolonial theory is critically examined. By doing so, positive linkage between postcolonial studies and the new directions in Philippine studies is sought.

This essay discusses the transnational tensions that emerged in recent Japanese translations of studies of Philippine history. It focuses on an anthology of eight essays written by historians Reynaldo C. Ileto, Vicente L. Rafael and Floro L. Quibuyen, as well as on the Japanese edition of Reynaldo C. Ileto’s seminal text, Pasyon and Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines, 1840-1910. By reflecting on the process of translating the works of Filipino scholars into a Japanese context, this essay shows how translation becomes a kind of transcultural intellectual battlefield, revealing the different stakes of Filipino and Japanese writers in their approach to Philippine history.