Jerzy Lerski in Japan, 1954–1958: Cold War Mission of a Polish Political Exile

Abstract This article examines the work of Jerzy Lerski, a Polish political émigré in the United States after World War II, during his time in Japan in the 1950s. It explores the reasons behind his stay of over three years in that country and the nature of his work there. By tracing Lerski's connection to the Asia Foundation, the study reveals that he was closely tied to US Cold War information campaigns in Asia, which involved deploying political exiles like him to promote anticommunism abroad. However, this was only one aspect of Lerski's activities in Japan. As a historian, he was employed at Nihon University in Tokyo, conducted seminars at the Japan Institute of Foreign Affairs (Nihon Gaisei Gakkai) on East Central European history after 1945, and pursued research into Polish-Japanese relations. Additionally, he served as the representative of the Assembly of Captive European Nations in Japan. By situating Lerski within the broader contexts of postwar Japan and the global Cold War, the article examines his interactions with various institutional and individual actors both within and beyond Japan. Furthermore, it addresses the question of the agency of figures like Lerski, who were used by governments and intelligence services while simultaneously pursuing their own political agendas.