Asia magazine was originally published as the Journal of the American Asiatic Association to promote commercial relations between China, Japan, and the United States.

The American Asiatic Association was founded in June 1898 by a group of New York-based American businessmen who had previously lived in Asia. Their goal was to shape public sentiment to support American interests in the Far East.

The first issue of the Journal was published on July 25, 1898. It featured information on Chinese customs revenues and trade regulations along the Yangtze River. The final issue under the original title appeared on January 2, 1917.

From its inception, the Association was focused on protecting American business interests in the Philippines and opposed any peace treaty with Spain that did not guarantee an “open door” policy, which would ensure equal trade opportunities for all nations on the islands. Other early topics included Chinese railway projects, Korean trade, the strategic and economic importance of China, and reports from association events.

In 1917, with the 17th volume, the Association relaunched the publication as Asia magazine. Now a monthly, it featured more opinion essays and illustrations. Although its core mission—to promote American influence in Asia—remained unchanged, the editors acknowledged the need to reshape American perceptions of Asia. This shift is reflected in their statement: “The ignorance of our people in regard to the countries of the Far East is unquestionably a serious obstacle to the legitimate extension of American influence” (Asia, March 1917, p. 3). To that end, they began emphasizing social and cultural topics alongside economic and political concerns. That same year, the Association began admitting women as members.

In November 1917, in compliance with the Post Office Appropriation Act of August 24, 1917, the magazine disclosed its ownership: Asia Publishing Company, with A. W. Feidler and G. H. Rennick as trustees, and Willard Straight as the principal bondholder. By the 1920s, the magazine listed Willard Straight as its founder in the front matter.

After Straight died in 1918, his widow, Dorothy Straight, married Leonard K. Elmhirst in 1925. Together, they continued to publish the Asia magazine. During this period, the journal adopted the subtitle “The American Magazine on the Orient.”

In 1933, Pearl S. Buck’s husband and publisher, Richard Walsh, became the journal’s editor. In 1941, Buck purchased the magazine from the Elmhirsts and rebranded it as Asia and the Americas in 1942. Under her leadership, the magazine increasingly focused on political analysis and war reporting. Prominent contributors included William Ernest Hocking, Hu Shih, Owen Lattimore, Lin Yutang, Jawaharlal Nehru, Edgar Snow, and Nym Wales (Helen Foster Snow). Buck regularly wrote for the book review section.

In 1947, Asia and the Americas merged with Free World (October 1941–December 1946) and Inter-American (May 1942–November 1946) to form United Nations World.