Harvard Professor Emeritus Akira Iriye Dies at 91

Tokyo, Jan. 30 (Jiji Press)–Akira Iriye, a renowned scholar of international politics and professor emeritus at Harvard University, died in the United States on Tuesday at the age of 91, according to informed sources. An expert in U.S. diplomatic history, Iriye was the first Japan-born head of both the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations and the American Historical Association. Iriye is known in Japan for his 1966 book on Japanese diplomacy and the 1986 book on war and peace in the 20th century. In 1970, he received the Yoshino Sakuzo prize for his paper on Japan’s pacifist development. He is considered one of those who changed how U.S. diplomatic history is understood. Born in Tokyo in 1934, Iriye left for the United States after graduating from high school. He studied at Haverford College and earned a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University. He served as a history professor at the University of Chicago and Harvard University. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]