In the spring of 2024, the former guest of our Foundation, who had worked as an economic correspondent for Reuters in the 1990s and later as an investigative journalist, explored the Japan-related documents in our care, as well as the relevant pieces of our audio-visual collection.
During his archival investigations, he sought to gain a more detailed understanding of the transnational networks that were considerably shaped by the former Crown Prince, as one of the principal organisers of post-war conservative and right-wing politics, he played a pivotal role in fostering dialogue among decision-makers in Europe, America and East Asia. The documents recording the extensive network of contacts Otto von Habsburg had established constitute a source of unparalleled historical value and offer important guidance for a more nuanced understanding of the events and processes of the global Cold War.
This is well illustrated by the article published in the September issue of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, authored by Eiichiro Tokumoto. Drawing mainly on materials from our Archives, the study demonstrates how Otto von Habsburg contributed to the election of Kakuei Tanaka, the mentor and role model of the current Japanese prime minister, as head of government in 1972.
