Abstract
There are numerous signs of a recrudescent nationalism in contemporary Japan, a trend that is elite driven and vigorously promoted by the nation’s political leadership. This is manifested in patriotic education initiatives ranging from textbooks and mandatory flag and anthem veneration, to narratives of denial in the media, manga, and film. Japan’s hardball diplomacy targeting United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) over the comfort women issue is emblematic of just how counterproductive reactionary identity politics is on the world stage. It is striking that such efforts, and the more assertive Abe Doctrine on security, have not gained strong domestic support and are provoking a nationalist backlash in China and South Korea inimical to Japan’s interests.
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Notes
- 1.
Jeff Kingston, Nationalism in Asia; A History Since 1945. Wiley-Blackwell: Chichester, UK, 2017.
- 2.
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- 3.
David McNeill, “Nippon Kaigi and the Radical Conservative Project to Take Back Japan”, The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 13, Issue 48, No. 4, December 14, 2015.
- 4.
Christopher Hughes, Japan’s Foreign and Security Policy Under the ‘Abe Doctrine.’ Palgrave Macmillan: NY, 2016.
- 5.
Paul Midford, Rethinking Japanese Public Opinion and Security: From Pacifism to Realism? Stanford University Press, 2011; Thomas Berger, Cultures of Antimilitarism: National Security in Germany and Japan. John Hopkins University Press 2007.
- 6.
Matt Linley (2016) “Nationalist Attitudes among Mass Publics in East Asia” in Kingston, Jeff (2016), ed. Asian Nationalisms Reconsidered. (Routledge), 116–132.
- 7.
Robert Pekkanen, Ethan Scheiner and Steven Reed, eds. (2015), Japan Decides 2014: The Japanese General Election. Palgrave: NY, 2015.
- 8.
Lawrence Repeta, “Japan’s 2013 State Secrecy Act—The Abe Administration’s Threat to News Reporting,” The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 12, Issue 10, No. 1, March 10, 2014.
- 9.
Ministry of Defense Japan. The 2015 Guidelines for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation.http://www.mod.go.jp/e/d_act/anpo/
- 10.
Gavan McCormack. Client State- Japan in the American Embrace. Verso, NY, 2007.
- 11.
James Joyner, “How Perpetual War Became Us Ideology”, The Atlantic, May 2011. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/05/how-perpetual-war-became-us-ideology/238600/
- 12.
Hughes, op.cit.; cf. Bruce Klinger, “Japanese Defense Reform Supports Allied Security Objectives.” Heritage Foundation: Washington, DC, 2016.
- 13.
- 14.
Personal communications.
- 15.
Pew Research Center, “Asian countries on Trump’s trip have largely positive views of U.S. but disagree on policy”, November 3, 2017. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/11/03/opinions-in-asian-countries-on-trump-trip/
- 16.
Linda Sieg, “Japanese PM Abe’s support slides again before parliament appearance” Reuters July 23, 2017. https://www.yahoo.com/news/japanese-pm-abes-support-slides-again-parliament-appearance-120333029.html
- 17.
William Pesek, “Abenomics reminds us why trickle down doesn’t work” Asia Times, November 17, 2017. http://www.atimes.com/article/abenomics-reminds-us-trickle-doesnt-work/
- 18.
- 19.
NHK News 7, May 15, 2017. Respondents were asked why they supported the Abe cabinet with 45% replying that there was no alternative, exceeding the total for all of the other reasons given (excluding undecided). This finding is consistent with polling results in previous NHK surveys since 2013.
- 20.
Richard Samuels. Securing Japan: Tokyo’s Grand Strategy and the Future of East Asia. Cornell University Press: Ithaca, NY, 2008. Thomas French. National Police Reserve: The Origin of Japan’s Self Defense Forces. Global Oriental: London, 2014.
- 21.
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- 23.
Jonathan Watt, “Japan Revisits the Gulf War”, The Guardian, September 20, 2001.
- 24.
Maureen Dowd, “Bush and Japanese call for end to Bashing”, New York Times, April 5, 1991.
- 25.
As quoted in Tim Kelly and Nobuhiro Kubo, “Gulf war trauma began Japan’s retreat from pacifism”, Reuters December 19, 2015. Also see Kenneth Pyle, Japan Rising: The Resurgence of Japanese Power and Purpose. Public Affairs: NY, 2007.
- 26.
Craig Martin, “Questioning US Support for Japan’s National Security Moves” JURIST—Forum, September 2, 2015. http://www.jurist.org/forum/2015/09/craig-martin-japan-constitutionalism.php
- 27.
Jeff Kingston, “SEALDs: Students Slam Abe’s Assault on Japan’s Constitution”, The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 13, Issue 36, No. 1, September 7, 2015.
- 28.
“Abe’s plan to rewrite Article 9 is a dangerous political goal.” Asahi editorial, May 9, 2017. http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201705090021.html
- 29.
Gavan McCormack, “The Japanese State versus the People of Okinawa: Rolling arrests and prolonged and punitive detention.” Asia-Pacific Journal, vol 15, 2:4 January 15, 2017.
- 30.
Lawrence Repeta, “The silencing of an anti-U.S. base protester in Okinawa.” Japan Times, January 4, 2017.
- 31.
Ryukyu Shimpo (2016) “Over 40 percent of Okinawans want bases withdrawn and 53 percent want Marines withdrawn”, June 3.
- 32.
Mure Dickie, “US Senators Slam Okinawa Base Move”, Financial Times, May 12, 2011.
- 33.
Jeff Kingston. “Japan’s Constitutional Rebirth or Reincarnation?” Japan Times, May 14, 2017.
- 34.
Dennis Halpin, “The US Should be appalled by Japan’s Historical Revisionism”, The National Interest, March 9, 2015. http://nationalinterest.org/feature/us-should-be-appalled-by-japans-historical-revisionism-12381?page=show
- 35.
Edward Vickers, “Japan’s Pyrrhic Victory over Comfort Women Commemoration”, The Diplomat, November 25, 2017.
- 36.
“Poll: Nearly half oppose Abe’s constitutional revision plan”, Asahi, October 25, 2017.
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Kingston, J. (2019). One-Hand Clapping: Japanese Nationalism in the Abe Era. In: Sohn, Y., Pempel, T.J. (eds) Japan and Asia’s Contested Order. Asia Today. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0256-5_7
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