Elisabeth Hermine Abegg (7 December 1901 – 13 July 1974), known as Lily Abegg, was a Swiss journalist who reported on East Asian affairs for several European newspapers from the late 1930s through the mid-1960s and authored multiple books and journal articles from the 1940s through the early 1970s. Her work focused on the political climate of the Middle East and what was then described as the

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

region.

Formative years

Abegg grew up in

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

, Japan, where her father Hans Abegg, traded in silk. Following her formative years, which were spent in Japan between 1902 and 1916, she studied political science in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

and

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

, graduating with a doctorate.

Career

Abegg undertook her first trip as a journalist in 1934, during which time she traveled to Japan, where she reported on the cultural and political climate there. From 1934 to 1940, she was the East Asia correspondent of the ''

Frankfurter Zeitung The ''Frankfurter Zeitung'' (, ) was a German-language newspaper that appeared from 1856 to 1943. It emerged from a market letter that was published in Frankfurt. In Nazi Germany, it was considered the only mass publication not completely control ...

'' in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. In 1939, she reported from China about the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

. After returning to Switzerland, she wrote for the ''

Weltwoche ''Die Weltwoche'' (, "The World Week") is a Swiss weekly magazine based in Zürich. Founded in 1933, it has been privately owned by Roger Köppel since 2006. The magazine's regular columnists include the former president of the Social Democratic ...

'', reporting from the Middle East and South East Asia, but returned to her post as FAZ East Asia correspondent from 1954 to 1964. After she returned to Switzerland again in 1964, she served as Asia advisor to the FAZ.

1945 arrest

Abegg, who had been placed on a list of suspected war criminals by United States Army General

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He served with dis ...

, was arrested by American troops in September 1945 and imprisoned in Sugamo Prison, following the defeat of Japan and the end of World War II. Accused of making anti-American and anti-British propaganda broadcasts that were supportive of Germany and Japan, she was also accused of writing English language scripts for

Tokyo Rose Tokyo Rose (alternative spelling Tokio Rose) was a name given by Allied troops in the South Pacific during World War II to all female English-speaking radio broadcasters of Japanese propaganda. The programs were broadcast in the South Pacific ...

and was alleged to have published propaganda under the alias, Sybille Abe. Abegg denied those allegations during subsequent interviews with news reporters. She was released from prison on January 24, 1946 due to "insufficient evidence," according to a new release that was issued by MacArthur's headquarters. She subsequently returned home to Switzerland.

Written works (abridged list)

Abegg researched and wrote multiple journal articles and books during her lifetime. An abridged list includes the following: * Abegg, Lily. ''China's Erneuerung. Der Raum als Waffe''. Frankfurt, Germany: Societäts-Verlag, 1940. * Abegg, Lily. ''Yamato; la mission du peuple japonais''. Paris, France: Arthème Fayard, 1942. * Abegg, Lily. ''Neue Herren in Mittelost. Arabische Politik heute''. Stuttgart, Germany: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt Stuttgart, 1954. * Abegg, Lily.
Japan Reconsiders
" in ''Foreign Affairs'', April 1, 1955. * Abegg, Lily. ''Im Neuen China''. Berlin, Germany: Atlantis Verlag, 1957. * Abegg, Lily. ''De L'Empire du Milieu a Mao Tse-Toung''. Lucerne, Switzerland: Rencontre, 1966. * Abegg, Lily. ''Japan's Traum vom Musterland. Der neue Nipponismus''. K. Desch, 1973..

Death

Abegg died on July 13, 1974.

Legacy

With her several books about the society and politics of China and Japan, as well as her articles, Abegg helped to broaden popular knowledge about these countries in the German-speaking world.

References

External links

* Wirz, Claudia.
Lily Abegg (1901 – 1974)
(profile of Abegg, in French). Lausanne, Switzerland: ''Avenir Suisse'', August 13, 2014 (retrieved online July 10, 2023). {{DEFAULTSORT:Abegg, Lily 20th-century Swiss journalists 20th-century Swiss women writers Women war correspondents Imprisoned journalists Writers from Yokohama Swiss expatriates in Japan 1901 births 1974 deaths