227. INSTRUMENTALIZING THE 'OTHER' IN JAPAN (PANEL I)
227.
Panel Title : INSTRUMENTALIZING THE 'OTHER' IN JAPAN (PANEL I)
Convener : Phil A Deans
Chair : Kyle Cleveland
Discussant :
Panel Abstract :
This is the first of two panels which examine the role of outsiders in Japan's domestic and international politics. The idea that Japan is a homogenous country has been shattered, and significant scholarly research has been undertaken to consider the role that others play both in terms of Japan's self identification and in terms of how minorities and other outsider groups are treated within Japan. However Japan's changing domestic and international circumstances (the quiet transformation of the 1990s and early 2000s) require a reconsideration and reassessment of ‘the other' in Japan. This panel, and its accompanying session, will develop this existing research through new empirical and conceptual research and a careful consideration of groups both inside and outside Japan. Panel one focuses on issues with a strong international dimension - Deans addresses the role that Taiwan plays for Japanese revisionist nationalists, Dujarric considers Japan's changing insularity, and Bukh and Vassiliouk consider two local others (the Ainu and the Karafuto-jin respectively) in the context of Japan's problematic relations with Russia. Particular attention is placed on how the process of ‘othering' impacts on and effects policy-making by the Japanese state at local, national and international levels.
Participants :
Phil Deans
Paper Title : ‘Taiwan in the Japanese Nationalist Imagination: The Positive Other'
Abstract :
Taiwan occupies a fascinating position as an external other for Japan. Taiwan is atypical in Asia as it is a country where a significant cross-section of the population, and a very significant group of high-profile social, cultural and political figures, readily express strong pro-Japanese views. After a brief consideration as to why this may be the case, this paper addresses how pro-Japanese sentiment on Taiwan is understood and mobilized by political activists and social critics in Japan. A category of revisionist nationalism is developed, through a consideration of the writings and statements of both politicians and commentators and the changing dynamics within elite politics in Japan. Particular attention is given to the right-wing activist and writer Kobayashi Yoshinori and to the political maverick and mayor of Tokyo, Ishihara Shintaro.. It is argued that revisionist nationalist movements in Japan attempt to exploit and mobilize pro-Japanese sentiment on Taiwan to further local political goals - the well-being of Tatiana and the Taiwanese are very much secondary. The revisionists fail to understand the complex nationalist dynamics on Taiwan and present a caricature of attitudes toward Japan which exist on the island. In policy terms, pro-Japanese sentiment on Taiwan has been an important factor in the growing influence of the pro-Taiwan groups in the ruling LDP and it is also forms a vehicle for the expression of anti-Chinese sentiment by Japanese revisionists.
Alexander Bukh
Paper Title : Japan's National Identity and Foreign Policy: A Case Study of Japan's Policy
vis-à-vis Russia
Anstract :
Since the 1980s, the notion of national identity and the nature of its relationship with foreign policy have been in the focus of constructivist and post-structuralist International Relations scholarship. In both theoretical approaches, the nature of the relationship is pre-determined. The constructivist scholars tend to treat the national identity as a cognitive lens through which national interests and related polices are defined and shaped. In a post-structuralist analysis, foreign policy is often perceived as a practice of difference that creates borders and enhances the national identity construction. The purpose of this paper is twofold. One is to examine the relationship between the external (Russia) and internal (Ainus) "others" in Japan's national identity discourse. The other is to analyze the relationship between national identity discourse and foreign policy. In the first part this paper examines the structure of contemporary Japan's national identity construction vis-à-vis Russia. It argues that Russia, because of her role as a traditional "other" for the West, has played a special role in Japan's attempt to construct herself as a member of the universal realm of "modern nations. This part also examines the role of "Russia" in the construction of the discourse on the conquest of the Ainu lands. The second part of the paper examines Japan's foreign policy vis-à-vis post-communist Russia along three dimensions; economic, military and the territorial dispute related to the islands captured by the Soviet Union during the last days of the Pacific War. Identity does not matter in economy- business as usual with profits overriding other concerns related to territory and history. Identity is slightly visible in the security discourse as seen in the lack of long-term trust of Russia's intentions among the members of the security community. In the context of the disputed Northern Territories, identity shapes and, at the same time, is shaped by the policy related to this dispute.
Svetlana Vassiliouk
Paper Title : "Karafuto-jin and Contemporary Japanese-Soviet/Russian Relations"
Abstract :
This paper will address the formation of views on the USSR in Japan in the post-WWII period, focusing on the role of the Karafuto-jin in shaping Japan's Soviet/Russian policy. It will begin with a brief history of Karafuto focusing on Karafuto's special status (Karafuto-cho) within the Japanese regional administration as well as on the perceptions of the Karafuto-jin in Japan and the Soviet Far East. It will further analyze the transformation of the Karafuto-jin's sociopolitical status in the aftermath of the Karafuto's cessation and handover to the USSR in 1945, exploring the nature of various problems associated with their consequent repatriation to Japan. Finally, by examining the history and political status of the Karafuto-jin's official organization, Karafuto Renmei, the paper will also look into the ways by which the Karafuto-jin have influenced, and continue to influence, Japan's perceptions of the USSR and Russia and will discuss their role in shaping Tokyo's official policy toward Moscow in the postwar era.
Robert Dujarric
Paper Title : Japan's Insularity: A New Challenge For The Country?
Abstract :
Japan is surprisingly isolated. There are few foreigners in the country, especially in the business, academic, and intellectual elite, including universities. Few international conferences, book, art and film fairs, and sporting events take place in Japan, nor is there a single internationally significant NGO which hails from Japan. In addition, Japanese are noticeable by their absence outside of their country, few work overseas in multinational corporations, universities, or international organizations. Language is another example of Japan's insularity. Since almost no outsiders know Japanese, the inability of most Japanese, even those with degrees from the best universities, to write articles or have an intellectual dialogue in a foreign languages further isolates the country, hence the paucity of articles by Japanese in internationally-recognized academic journals in the social sciences and the humanities. Japan's isolation has hurt its diplomacy. It makes it harder for Japanese to understand the outside world, and for foreigners to understand Japan. This seclusion is also a danger for its economic well-being as the country now needs to move beyond manufacturing to develop internationally competitive service industries.
