Where do norms come from? Foundations of Japan's postwar pacifism (original) (raw)

Japan: The ‘Normal’ Pacifist

E-International Relations, 2016

Since World War II, Japan’s sui generis constitution has fascinated International Relations academics, eliciting an extensive plethora of scholarship. But whilst constructivists, liberalists, and realists alike have made compelling arguments vis-à-vis Japan’s strategic choices, no one paradigm offers a comprehensive explanation. Rather, each theoretical approach provides plausible explanations for different aspects and instances of Japanese behaviour, which are neither necessarily contradictory nor incompatible. This essay thus employs analytic eclecticism[2] in examining Nipponese strategic discourse, particularly its ‘abnormal’ pacifism, since World War II; concluding that it has been influenced by structural and material, as well as ideational considerations. This is evidently not a configuration unique to Japan, and calls into question vague characterisations of ‘abnormality’. Similarly, the following suggests that while contemporary developments may challenge perceptions of a pacifistic Tokyo, they represent a congruence with, rather than divergence from, Japan’s pragmatic strategic calculus of the past seven decades. Far from altruism, Japan’s supposed pacifism has endured because of, not despite, the same material, structural and ideational dynamics that ostensibly subvert it today.

Japan's foreign and security policy transitions: from pacifism to "proactive pacifism''.

2017

Although the demands to revise the Japanese pacifistic politics can be traced back to the early 1990s, they have been increasingly pushed into Japans political agenda since Shinzo Abe assumed power as a prime minister in December 2012. This essay argues that Japan’s foreign and security strategy is undergoing a fundamental shift, according to which Japan’s prolonged traditions of following pacifistic approaches in the global arena are increasingly seen not feasible to face the contemporary global and the regional challenges. This strategic shift has taken the shape of institutional and legislation revisions, deepening the bilateral and multilateral relations and alliances, especially with the United States, and increasing Japan’s military capabilities

Long Live Pacifism! Narrative Power and Japan's Pacifist Model

Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 2019

International relations research acknowledges that states can have different security policies but neglects the fact that ‘models’ may exist in the security policyrealm. This article suggests that it is useful to think about models, which it argues can become examples for emulation or be undermined through narrative power. It illustrates the argument by analysing Japan’s pacifism—an alternative approach to security policy which failed to become an internationally popular model and, despite serving the country well for many years, has even lost its appeal in Japan. Conventional explanations suggest that Japan’s pacifist policies were ‘abnormal’, and that the Japanese eventually realized this. By contrast, this article argues that narratives undermined Japan’s pacifism by mobilizing deep-seated beliefs about what is realistic and unrealistic in international politics, and launches a counter-narrative that could help make pacifism a more credible model in world politics.

Book Review: Normalizing Japan: Politics, Identity, and the Evolution of Security Practice

International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, 2010

Scholars of international relations (IR) generally agree that at present Japan is not sufficiently 'normal' in its national security principles and behavior, as symbolized by the nation's 'peace constitution' and the restraints imposed on national power projections. Scholarly experts offer, however, dichotomous views on Japan's future trajectory. 'Realists' emphasizing materialistic power distribution in international politics assert that Japan is already close to discarding its post World War II pacifist identity in order to become a muscle-flexing military giant more commensurate with its international status and changing external environment. 'Constructivists' focusing on the resilience of social identity, on the other hand, counter that despite drastic shifts in international power dynamics, Japan is likely to maintain the core of its antimilitaristic Book Reviews 547

Book Review: Kyoko Hatakeyama, Japan’s Evolving Security Policy: Militarisation within a Pacifist Tradition

Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, Air University Press, 2021

Kyoko Hatakeyama’s Japan’s Evolving Security Policy: Militarisation within a Pacific Tradition is a helpful addition to the body of literature that seeks to explain Japan’s national security decision making. Adopting an international relations constructivist framework, the book focuses on the interplay of Japanese domestic political parties and the role of international norms in governing changes to Japan’s security policy. The author is a professor of international relations at the Graduate School of International Studies and Regional Development, University of Niigata Prefecture. The book draws on the research she conducted while training for her PhD at Macquarie University in Australia and as a visiting scholar at Leiden University in the Netherlands. That research was originally published in journal articles and book chapters, covering a range of topics related to Japanese policy decisions regarding arms exports and regional leadership. Themes and data from this previously published work are brought together with new material to deliver a fresh evaluation of how and why Japan has reemerged as a global political-military power and pivotal strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific. The book focuses on three specific areas of Japan’s security policy: arms trade restrictions, participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations, and enlarged military roles in international security.

The Three Big Stages of the Reconceptualization of Japanese Pacifism: How Alliance Dilemma with the United States Plays a Major Role in Japan

Jurnal Ilmiah Hubungan Internasional

This paper aims to explain the alliance dilemma between the United States and Japan and its impact on the reconceptualization of Japanese pacifism. It implies a decline in one-country pacifism intensity and increasingly flexible reinterpretations of Article 9. Through this research, it turns out that Japan’s lower position of bargaining leverage than the U.S. and the risk of entrapment in alliance dilemma between the U.S. and Japan affect the reconceptualization of pacifism in Japan. The conclusion draws on the findings through the theoretical framework of Glenn Snyder’s Alliance Dilemma, with James D. Morrow’s concept of Autonomy and Security. The term ‘alliance dilemma’ refers to two possible choices states could pick to avoid certain risks in the alliance: “C” strategy (to cooperate) or “D” strategy (to defect). The analysis reveals that Japan is more inclined to choose “C” strategy since it is very dependent on the U.S. As the bad prospective in “C” strategy eventually comes int...

We Must Protect This Peace with Our Hands: Strategic Culture and Japan's Use of Force in International Disputes

Journal of Advanced Military Studies, 2022

Japan's national security identity and its elite strategic culture are at odds with each other, with the former moored to deep-rooted historical legacies and the latter yearning to adapt to contemporary imperatives, including the need to more actively cooperate with the United States in maintaining peace and stability in Asia. How can this tension be overcome? How do defense planners attempt to shape public perceptions of the military's changing roles in society? And what might their efforts to do so teach us about how they view the desired identity, norms, and values of Japan's military in relation to the use of force in international disputes?

Decoding Japan’s Security Discourse.pdf

India Quarterly 72(1) 30–49, 2016

East Asian theatre is fast evolving. China’s arrival as a major power in international politics is altering the existing regional balance of power and intensifying Japan’s quest for securing a rightful place in the international system. Japan is reacting to the asymmetrical power politics and Shinzo Abe is increasingly becoming restless in attempting to redefine Japan’s secondary power identity. This requires undoing the limitations that were forced on Japan in the post-war period, including the constitutional restrictions, especially the pacifist clause. Amid fiercely contested domestic debate, reinterpreting the pacifist constitution is certainly a bold step towards infusing clarity in Japan’s future security role. The key objective is to convey to Japan’s allies concerning the manner the SDF will cooperate with the US and other regional powers, such as Australia, India, Philippines, etc. How this limited’ right to collective self-defence will translate into operation will remain to be seen. To understand the rapidly unfolding policy shift, it is imperative to understand the different waves of the debate on collective self-defence and deconstruct the recent cabinet decision; explore the arguments of the competing schools of thought in Japan; examine the nuances and drivers that propelled Japan to redefine its passive constitution; and understand how regional and extra-regional powers evaluate this policy reorientation. Few regional stakeholders raised an alarm over the approach adopted by Abe to achieve the policy objective underscoring his militarist ambitions. While the aggressive historical baggage has caused considerable unease, it is premature to be alarmed over Japan’s shifting security posture as possible re-militarisation is unlikely to represent the traits of Imperial Japan.

“Remilitarization,” Really? Assessing Change in Japanese Foreign Security Policy

Asian Security, 2009

This article analyzes Japanese foreign security policy and recent talk of “remilitarization.”It does so by assessing the changes that most closely parallel the analytical interests of three setsof major international relations theories: namely capability (realism), policy (liberalism), and normative context (constructivism). Japanese responses to recurring North Korean missile testsmoreover provide a source for a contextually bound analysis of policy and self-image. The arti-cle confirms that the last two decades have witnessed a number of important changes in securityaspects of Japanese foreign policy but concludes that these changes are not nearly so dramatic asto justify the bold language of many Japan specialists. Hence, it serves to moderate the scholarlytendency to overemphasize or overly dramatize the changes in Japanese security policy.