Ever since the late 19th century when the Western aggression on East Asia grew in intensity, there have evolved what can be called 'the discourses on East Asian regionalism'. This study is an attempt to examine the dictums and defects of these discourses. They are divided into two groupings: modern and contemporary discourses, the former of which were proposed during the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, and the latter, after the early 1990s. Three or four different types of discourses in each period are then identified. This study provides an apt analysis and appraisal of the theoretical and political arguments made by each discourse. It also examines the problems and limitations each discourse has. In particular, the issues of self-orientalism and reversed orientalism─ the lasting vestige of modern Western ideology of orientalism─are subjected to serious debate.