Traitor - Kankan

During the Qing Dynasty in China, the term was used to refer to a Han Chinese who had connections with the ruling Manchu people, and in China, it refers to someone who has connections with foreign invaders. Since the Opium Wars (1840-42), modern China has long been on the brink of national demise. Han traitors who became pawns of foreign invaders and took the lead in selling out the interests of the nation were the ones most strongly criticized by the public as traitors, spies, and people traitors. In particular, after the Manchurian Incident (1931-32), as the threat of the country's downfall became more and more apparent, criticism of those who cooperated with Japan increased. Among the traitors of this period were Zheng Xiaoxu, who served as the Prime Minister of "Manchukuo", Kawashima Yoshiko, nicknamed "Mata Hari of the Orient", and Yin Rugeng of the East China Sea Anti-Communist Autonomous Government, but the greatest traitor was probably Wang Jingwei, who switched sides to Japan during World War II and became the head of the puppet government of the "Nationalist Government". In today's China, the meaning has changed somewhat, and the term now generally refers to traitors to the nation and people, not just Chinese people.

[Kurahashi Masanao]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、清(しん)の時代に、支配民族である満州人に通じた漢人をいったところから、中国で外国侵略者に通じる者をいう。アヘン戦争（1840～42）以来の中国の近現代は、長く民族の存亡の瀬戸際にたたされていた。そこで、外国侵略者の手先となり、率先して民族の利益を売り渡す漢奸は、売国奴、スパイ、民族の裏切り者としてもっとも強く世の非難を浴びた。とりわけ満州事変（1931～32）以後、亡国の危機が強く意識されるにつれ、日本に協力する者に対する非難は高まった。この時期の漢奸としては、「満州国」の総理大臣を務めた鄭孝胥(ていこうしょ)、「東洋のマタハリ」の異名をとった川島芳子(よしこ)、冀東(きとう)防共自治政府の殷汝耕(いんじょこう)などがいるが、最大の漢奸は、第二次世界大戦中、日本側に寝返り、傀儡(かいらい)政権の「国民政府」の首班になった汪兆銘(おうちょうめい／ワンチャオミン)であろう。なお、今日の中国では意味が多少変わり、中国人に限らず、一般的に民族の裏切り者、売国奴をさすようになった。

［倉橋正直］

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