I have being examined how Dutch academics influenced the political thought of Nishi Amane (1829-97).
Nishi was one of the major thinkers of modern Japan. Nishi and his companion Tsuda Mamichi were sent to the Netherlands to study law, which they did from 1863 till 1866 in Leiden; after their return to Japan, they were responsible for the introduction of European law and philosophy in that country.
My research will focus on his studies in the Netherlands. He emphasized the doctrine of utilitarianism in his introduction of western political science to Japan. To examine how his time in the Netherlands influenced his view of utilitarianism, I will investigate the historical, socio-political and geographical context of his experience in the Netherlands in the 1860s.