Yuichiro Onishi's examination of Afro-Asian solidarity in Transpacific Antiracism provides a refreshing take on black internationalism and racial discourse by deemphasizing identity in favor of “the politics of identification” (100). This is quite a shift, given the tendency for scholarship on black experiences to revolve around the treatment of people of African descent based on their membership in a visual, racial category. By reorienting the discussion from individuals to ideas, Onishi grounds the book's argument in race as a political category rather than a biological one. This makes notions of freedom the purview of different groups, not just African Americans, and also creates links to a broader form of internationalism. This move allows for an exploration of the use, by a variety of different groups interested in liberation, of antiracism articulated by black Americans, as well as the development of multiracial alliances in unexpected places. African Americans who articulated multiple modes of black internationalism are linked to Japanese intellectuals keen to develop black studies in Japan and multiracial coalitions in Okinawa made up of local activists, peace activists, and GIs. By tracing the use of black antiracist thought by such disparate groups and individuals, Onishi shows that black intellectuals crafted a worldview based on African American experiences but applicable to multiple global realities.

Rather than focussing on the race of individuals, Onishi focusses on racial discourse, which alters the lens through which we view black thought and internationalism and leads to a reassessment of the Afro-Asian legacy of W. E. B. Du Bois. This reassessment complicates characterizations that paint Du Bois either as informed supporter or as naive interlocutor. On the one hand, Onishi acknowledges the limits and flaws of Du Bois's pro-Japan position. The book deftly shows how Du Bois consistently characterized Japan as the nonwhite leader of colored revolution against colonialist powers, even when presented with evidence of Japan's own colonialist actions against Korea and China. While Du Bois sought to equate the subject positions of black America and Japan, he could never overcome the disparities between experiences as segregated people in the United States and the imperial aspirations of a nation on the other side of the globe. On the other hand, the book explores how Du Bois's meditation on the parallels between African Americans and the Japanese led to the articulation of a “racial groove” where people across racial lines strove to craft new modes of solidarity (65). Du Bois's work laid the groundwork for equally complex responses by other notable African American intellectuals, who used pro-Japan stances to bolster antiwhite supremacy rhetoric as well as critique Japan's colonial activities using class analysis.

While other studies of black internationalism focus on black actors, Onishi's book explores the other side of the relationship through its focus on postwar Japanese intellectuals responsible for the development of black studies in Japan and multiracial coalitions in Okinawa. Japanese intellectuals created a “transpacific culture of liberation” through the translation of African American texts, thereby reinforcing the notion that racial discourse transcended individuals (98). In doing so, the book shows the importance of cultural production in understanding transpacific antiracism, the meaning of which goes beyond organized action and political discourse. The book frequently looks to poetry, literature and other creative production as central to understanding this mode of black internationalism. Multiracial coalitions in Okinawa also drew upon creative expressions as part of their liberation discourse, but the results were more varied due to the competing goals of the members of the coalitions. Impacted by shifting circumstances, the aspirations of peace activists, Okinawan activists, and black and white GIs sometimes diverged from a shared goal.

Overall, Transpacific Antiracisim adds to the body of knowledge on black internationalism by extending its reach. By tracing the spread of racial discourse through expressive and political texts rather than individuals, Onishi shows how ideas flow in less regulated ways. Transpacific antiracism can be found in various discourses of liberation and freedom and forms the foundation for Afro-Asian solidarity. By focussing on the ways black thought intervenes in black internationalism informed by Japan's global aspirations, the book continues the excavation work on various modes of Afro-Asian dynamics. This work continues to expand our notions of black intellectualism by making it part of a global intellectual tradition that impacts a wide range of groups and individuals engaged in liberation work.