Description
Book SynopsisThis book interprets the changing nature of Japanese foreign policy through the concepts of identity, culture and memory. It goes beyond rational interpretation of material interests and focus on values and ideas that are inseparable and pervasive in Japanese domestic and foreign policy. A set of chapters written by established Japanese and foreign experts show the nuances of Japanese self-images and their role in defining their understanding of the world. Stemming from historical memories of World War Two, the reconciliation between Japan and other Asian countries, the formation of Japanese self in media discourse to the role of self-perception in defining Japanese contemporary foreign and economic policies, the book offers a holistic insight into Japanese psyche and its role in the political world. It will be of utmost interest not only to the scholars of Japanese foreign policy, but also to a wide public interested in understanding the uniqueness of Japanese state and its people.
Table of Contents
Yoichiro Sato: Preface – Acknowledgments – Michal Kolmaš: Introduction: National Identity and the Study of Japan – Hidetaka Yoshimatsu: National Identity and Asian Diplomacy under Abe – Yoshinori Kaseda: Ideational Factors behind the Erosion of Japan’s Pacifism – Utpal Vyas: Japan-UK Relations before and after the Brexit Referendum – Yoichiro Sato: Industrial Policies, the East Asian Miracle, and Regional Integration after the 2008 Global Financial Crisis – Takashi Hosoda: National Identity, National Pride, and Armed Force in Japan: How to Verify the Existence of Pacifist Culture in Japan – Jan Sýkora: Collective (Historical) Memory and National Identity in Contemporary Japan: Contested War Narrative and Myth-Making in Japan’s Longest Day – Emilia S. Heo: Through the Eyes of Others: Postwar Reconciliation Narrative in Contemporary Japan – David Kozisek: China as an Other in Japanese Media: Construction of National Identity – Notes on Contributors – Index.
