- Table View
- List View
Japan's Changing Role in Humanitarian Crises (The University of Sheffield/Routledge Japanese Studies Series)
by Yukiko NishikawaExtensive news coverage of humanitarian crises, especially on television, has led to a strong public awareness of the importance of humanitarian activities. This innovative book examines the evolution of Japan’s response to humanitarian crises, placing it in the context of global debates on humanitarianism. Tracing developments from the Meiji period through to the present day, the book explores the broader cultural and historical framework within which Japanese humanitarian ideas and attitudes to human rights have developed. Taking a multi-disciplinary approach the book analyzes Japan’s humanitarian ideas, values and social practices, exploring the changing perceptions and attitudes to overseas assistance. Based on primary research including interview material it provides a deeper understanding of the upsurge in Japanese involvement in humanitarian crises, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s. It includes a variety of case studies with a detailed consideration of Japan’s assistance in East Timor. Nishikawa analyzes the case from historical, geographical and political perspectives, illustrating the strategic and political considerations that have influenced the shape of Japan’s humanitarian activities.
Japan's China Policy: A Relational Power Analysis (European Institute of Japanese Studies East Asian Economics and Business Series)
by Linus HagströmJapan's China Policy understands Japan's foreign policy in terms of power - one of the most central concepts of political analysis. It contributes a fresh understanding to the subject by developing relational power as an analytical framework and by applying it to significant issues in Japan's China policy: the negotiations for a bilateral investment protection treaty and the disputed Pinnacle (Senkaku/Diaoyu) Islands. Hagström demonstrates that Japan exerted power over China in such divergent empirical settings for the most part by using civilian instruments positively, defensively and through non-action. Given that Japan's foreign policy is often portrayed rather enigmatically in terms of power, the unique contribution of Japan's China Policy is to demonstrate how to analyze power aspects of Japan's foreign policy in a more coherent fashion. This revealing approach to Japan's foreign policy will be of huge interest to anyone studying Japanese politics, foreign policy or international relations.
Japan's Civil-Military Diplomacy: The Banks of the Rubicon (Politics in Asia)
by Dennis T. YasutomoSince the early 1990s, there has been a clear evolution in the military dimension of Japanese diplomacy. From Gulf War I in 1991 to the present day, an incremental but unmistakable acceptance of, and resort to, military dispatches has taken place, and yet crucially, Japan has not morphed into a traditional military power. Exploring Japan’s involvement in both Afghanistan and Iraq, this book examines the evolution and nature of the new civil-military dimension in Japanese foreign policy. It shows how foreign aid, Japan’s traditional non-military diplomatic tool, was merged with the operations of the Japanese Self-Defense Force in Iraq and the activities of NATO-ISAF forces in Afghanistan, and emphasises the centrality of civilian power to Japanese foreign policy and diplomacy. However, Dennis Yasutomo argues that while a new civil-military security culture is replacing the old merchant state culture of pacifism and anti-militarism, Japan does not yet qualify as a military "normal nation". Further, the book’s exploration of the increased utilization of military power within the context of civilian objectives and non-military diplomatic instruments, sheds light on the current build-up of Japanese military power in East and Southeast Asia amid territorial disputes and nuclear threats, and highlights the impact that Japan’s new civil-military diplomacy may have on wider international affairs in the 21st Century. Drawing on interviews with key actors in Tokyo, as well as with practitioners who have served on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, this book will have broad appeal to students and scholars working on Japanese politics and diplomacy, military and security studies and international relations.
Japan’s Cold War Policy and China: Two Perceptions of Order, 1960-1972 (Politics in Asia)
by Yutaka KandaFrom 1960s to the early 1970s in East Asia, the Cold War bipolar system, centering on the US and USSR, shifted to a more complicated structure. After the Cuban Missile Crisis, Washington and Moscow accelerated the détente process, leading China to fear a "collusion" of the two superpowers. Publicly attacking its former ally while continuing to fight against America, China rose as a symbol of multipolarization in international politics during this era. Focusing on Japan’s policy toward this changing paradigm, Kanda examines Japanese leaders’ perceptions of the international order and how they reacted to this changing international environment. This book moves beyond the traditional Euro-centric view of the Cold War, emphasizing the significant role Japan played. The research provides insight into the foreign policy patterns of post-World War Two Japanese diplomacy, particularly in relation to China and the USSR. The investigation relies on careful readings of archival records from Japan, China, Taiwan, the US, the UK, Australia and the UN, published diplomatic documents from France and Germany, and personal papers, diaries and memoirs. This volume will appeal to anyone who is interested in postwar Japan's politics and diplomacy, international history of East Asia, and the Cold War history in general.
Japan’s Colonial Moment in Southeast Asia 1942-1945: The Occupiers’ Experience (Routledge Contemporary Japan Series)
by Nakano SatoshiThe first-ever attempt to paint a full-scale portrait of the Japanese Occupation of Southeast Asia during the Asia-Pacific War (1942–5). This book draws on the huge body of available narrative—military documents, bureaucratic records and personal accounts of combatants and civilians, including diaries, memoirs and collected correspondence—most of which have previously been either unknown or unavailable to non-Japanese readers. It examines how the Japanese imperial adventure in Southeast Asia sped up the collapse of the Japanese Empire as a whole, not only through its ultimate military defeat in the region, but also due to its failure as an occupier from the very beginning. Nakano explains the significance of the Japanese Occupation of Southeast Asia as a learning experience for the occupiers, whether soldiers on the frontlines or civilians on the home front. He uses a synthesis, overlay and juxtaposition of a selection of these narratives, to reassemble the narrative as a whole. This brings into focus the outlook of those Japanese who set out for Southeast Asia with the purpose to urge the region’s occupied people to collaborate with Japan to transform the region into an integral part of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. Many would eventually discover that what required change was Japan and its whole approach to colonial rule, as was realized so quickly in the postwar era. The original Japanese version was published as Tonan Ajia senryo to Nihonjin: Teikoku Nihon no kaitai [The occupation of Southeast Asia and the Japanese: The dismantling of the Japanese Empire]. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 2012. ISBN: 430922542X.
Japan's Comfort Women: Sexual Slavery And Prostitution During World War Ii And The Us Occupation (Asia's Transformations Ser.)
by Yuki TanakaJapan's Comfort Women tells the harrowing story of the "comfort women" who were forced to enter prostitution to serve the Japanese Imperial army, often living in appalling conditions of sexual slavery. Using a wide range of primary sources, the author for the first time links military controlled prostitution with enforced prostitution. He uncovers new and controversial information about the role of the US' occupation forces in military controlled prostitution, as well as the subsequent "cover-up" of the existence of such a policy. This groundbreaking book asks why US occupation forces did little to help the women, and argues that military authorities organised prostitution to prevent the widespread incidence of GI rape of Japanese women, and to control the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Japan's Contested Constitution: Documents and Analysis (The University of Sheffield/Routledge Japanese Studies Series)
by Glenn D. Hook Gavan McCormackJapan's Contested Constitution is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Japanese domestic politics and the international role of Japan. Subjects covered include;* the no war, `pacifist' clause* tension between the constitution and the US-Japan security treaty* the political import of the constitution for Japanese political parties* the significance of the constitution for the Japanese people
Japan's Contested War Memories: The 'Memory Rifts' in Historical Consciousness of World War II (Routledge Contemporary Japan Series #10)
by Philip A. SeatonJapan's Contested War Memories is an important and significant book that explores the struggles within contemporary Japanese society to come to terms with Second World War history. Focusing particularly on 1972 onwards, the period starts with the normalization of relations with China and the return of Okinawa to Japan in 1972, and ends with the sixtieth anniversary commemorations. Analyzing the variety of ways in which the Japanese people narrate, contest and interpret the past, the book is also a major critique of the way the subject has been treated in much of the English-language. Philip Seaton concludes that war history in Japan today is more divisive and widely argued over than in any of the other major Second World War combatant nations. Providing a sharp contrast to the many orthodox statements about Japanese 'ignorance', amnesia' and 'denial' about the war, this is an engaging and illuminating study that will appeal to scholars and students of Japanese history, politics, cultural studies, society and memory theory.
Japan's Continental Adventure (Routledge Library Editions: Japan)
by Ching-Chun WangThis book contains eighteen studies on various important phases of Japan’s invasion of China. The appendix contains the historical declaration by Chiang-Kai-shek setting forth clearly the reasons why China took up arms against Japanese aggression, and a lucid chapter by the veteran sinologist Owen Lattimore on what Korea pays for Japan’s rule. Ever since the invasion of Manchuria by Japan in September 1931 the writer called attention to the fact that, in view of the League commitments, aggression in the East, if not properly stopped according to the League Covenant, would encourage aggression to spread beyond the limits of Asia.
Japan's Cultural Code Words: Key Terms That Explain the Attitudes and Behavior of the Japanese
by Boye Lafayette De MenteThis book is a study of Japanese society through the understanding of the key terms and concepts that define their attitudes and behaviors. <p><p> Westerners have traditionally been intrigued by Japanese attitudes and behaviors which have been perceived as ranging from cute, quaint, and seductive to strange and sometimes savage. The traditional dual character of the Japanese is generally attributed to cultural conditioning-strict conformity to standards set by the ruling powers and to sanctified custom-at the expense of individuality and personal freedom. Since World War II, the traditional conditioning and orientation of the Japanese has diminished and continuing influence from the West has wrought fundamental changes in the attitudes and behavior of the Japanese. Nevertheless, Japan's traditional culture is still so powerful that it continues to be the prevailing force in molding and tuning the national character of the Japanese, with the result that they still have two faces-one modern and rational, the other traditional and emotional.
Japan's Development Aid to China: The Long-Running Foreign Policy of Engagement (Routledge Studies in the Growth Economies of Asia #Vol. 60)
by Tsukasa TakamineParadoxically, Japan provides massive amounts of development aid to China, despite Japan's clear perception of China as a prime competitor in the Asia-Pacific region. This clearly written and comprehensive volume provides an overview of the way Japan's aid to China has developed since 1979. It explains the shifts that have taken place in Japan's China policy in the 1990s against the background of international changes and domestic changes in both countries, and offers new insights into the way Japanese aid policy making functions, thereby providing an alternative view of Japanese policy making that might be applied to other areas. Through a series of case studies, it shows Japan’s increasing willingness to use development aid to China for strategic goals and explains a significant shift of priority project areas of Japan’s China aid in the 1990s, from industrial infrastructure to socio-environmental infrastructure. The book argues that, contrary to the widely held view that Japan's aid to China is given for reasons of commercial self-interest, the objectives are much more complex and dynamic. Using original material, Takamine shows how policy making power within the Japanese government has shifted in recent years away from officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to politicians in the Liberal Democratic Party.
Japan's Dream of World Empire: The Tanaka Memorial (Routledge Library Editions: Japan)
by Carl CrowDescribed as the Japanese Mein Kampf, this small pamphlet outlines the history of Japan which by the late 1920s was, according to the author, becoming a dream for world domination. Although this did not come to fruition, the book nonetheless represents a fascinating insight into the national psyche and political and military planning of the Japanese in the first half of the twentieth century. It focuses particularly on the Japanese policy in Manchuria and Mongolia.
Japan's Dysfunctional Democracy: The Liberal Democratic Party and Structural Corruption
by Roger W. BowenThis is a short, readable, and incisive study of the corrosive effects of corruption in one of the world's major liberal democracies. It explores the disconnect between democratic rule and undemocratic practices in Japan since the Second World War, with special attention to the corrupt practices of various prime ministers and the resulting sense of political cynicism and powerlessness among the general public.
Japan's Early Experience of Contract Management in the Treaty Ports
by Yuki Allyson HonjoThis is the first in-depth study of the early trial-and-error experiences of contracting between Japanese and western merchants trading in the Japanese Treaty Ports in the eighteen year period immediately following the opening of the ports in 1859. Fundamental to the equation were the inevitable east-west cultural and legal ambiguities that impacted on the traders. The learning curve for both westerners and Japanese regarding the nature and application of western contracting law was predictably difficult, tortuous and open to constant misunderstanding. Nevertheless, it was within such a framework that the principal benchmarks for trade with Japan were set down and which, in essence, have lasted to the present day.
Japan's Early Parliaments, 1890-1905: Structure, Issues and Trends (Nissan Institute/Routledge Japanese Studies)
by Andrew Fraser Philip Mitchell R. H. MasonJapan's Early Parliaments, 1890-1905 is the first detailed study of the early history of the Japanese Diet, providing a thorough discussion of the origins of the Japanese parliament, still the central institution of Japanese politics, and its development during this formative period. Drawn from primary sources, including the Diet records and contemporary newspaper reports, the studies in this book cover specific topics and issues debated in the Diet such as the land tax increase, the debate on poor relief, and the Japanese Commercial Code of 1890. The authors also look at the structure of the Diet and the role of the separate Houses, setting their findings in the context of wider Japanese political history.
Japan's Economic Aid: Policy Making and Politics (Routledge Library Editions: Japan)
by Alan RixJapan’s arrival since World War Two as a major industrial nation has meant that she has had to bear a greater share of the developed world’s contribution to the developing nations and foreign aid has become an integral part of foreign policy. This book describes the roots of Japan’s aid policy and shows that this side of her international economic policy is based largely on domestic conditions, structures and forces. To understand the pattern of Japanese aid as it stands today, it is important to appreciate the complexities of the Japanese decision-making process. This book clearly explains the patterns of Japanese aid policy-making.
Japan's Economic Challenge: A Bibliographic Sourcebook (Routledge Library Editions: Business and Economics in Asia #22)
by Michael Keresztesi Gary R. CocozzoliThis book, first published in 1988, assembles a key pool of references in English to help study the ‘Japanese economic challenge’ of the 1980s. Collectively, these writings chronicle the historical, social and cultural background of Japan’s spectacular industrial take-off. They describe, analyse and interpret the diverse manifestations of Japan’s economic growth.
Japan's Economic Offensive in China (Routledge Library Editions: Japan)
by Lowe Chuan HuaThis volume exposes Japan’s motives and designs on the economic front, pointing out the dangers of her policy of ousting Western interests and influence from East Asia during the conflict with China in Manchuria. The author urges the American and British governments to reconsider their position and strategy towards Japan. This book represents a fascinating insight into the power struggle between Japan & China in the early twentieth century.
Japan's Economic Power and Security: Japan and North Korea (The University of Sheffield/Routledge Japanese Studies Series)
by Christopher W. HughesIs Japan re-emerging as a normal, or even a great, military power in regional and global security affairs? This Adelphi Paper assesses the overall trajectory of Japan’s security policy over the last decade, and the impact of a changing Japanese military posture on the stability of East Asia. The paper examines Japan’s evolving security debate, set against the background of a shifting international environment and domestic policymaking system; the status of Japan’s national military capabilities and constitutional prohibitions; post-Cold War developments in the US Japan alliance; and Japan’s role in multilateral regional security dialogue, UN PKO, and US-led coalitions of the willing. It concludes that Japan is undoubtedly moving along the trajectory of becoming a more assertive military power, and that this trend has been accelerated post-9/11. Japan is unlikely, though, to channel its military power through greatly different frameworks than at present. Japan will opt for the enhanced, and probably inextricable, integration of its military capabilities into the US Japan alliance, rather than pursuing options for greater autonomy or multilateralism. Japan’s strengthened role as the defensive shield for the offensive sword of US power projection will only serve to bolster US military hegemony in East Asia and globally.
Japan's Emerging Youth Policy: Getting Young Adults Back to Work (Nissan Institute/Routledge Japanese Studies)
by Tuukka ToivonenFrom the 1960s onwards, Japan’s rapid economic growth coincided with remarkably smooth transitions from school to work and with internationally low levels of youth unemployment. However, this changed dramatically in the 1990s, and by the 2000s, youth employment came to be recognized as a serious concern requiring an immediate response. What shape did this response take? Japan’s Emerging Youth Policy is the first book to investigate in detail how the state, experts, the media as well as youth workers have reacted to the troubling rise of youth joblessness in early 21st century Japan. The answer that emerges is as complex as it is fascinating, but comprises two essential elements. First, instead of institutional ‘carrots and sticks’ as seen in Europe, actors belonging to mainstream Japan have deployed controversial labels such as NEET (‘Not in Education, Employment or Training’) to steer inactive youth into low-wage jobs. A second approach has been crafted by entrepreneurial youth support leaders that builds on what the author refers to as ‘communities of recognition’. As illustrated in this book using evidence from real sites of youth support, one such methodology consists of ‘exploring the user’ (i.e. the support-receiver) whereby complex disadvantages, family relationships and local employment contexts are skilfully negotiated. It is this second dimension in Japan’s response to youth exclusion that suggests sustainable, internationally attractive solutions to the employment dilemmas that virtually all post-industrial nations currently face but which none have yet seriously addressed. Based on extensive fieldwork that draws on both sociological and policy science approaches, this book will be welcomed by students, scholars and practitioners in the fields of Japanese and East Asian studies, comparative social policy, youth sociology, the sociology of social problems and social work.
Japan's Environmental Politics and Governance: From Trading Nation to EcoNation (Routledge Studies in Asia and the Environment)
by Yasuo TakaoEnvironmental issues stretch across scales of geographic space and require action at multiple levels of jurisdiction, including the individual level, community level, national level, and global level. Much of the scholarly work surrounding new approaches to environmental governance tends to overlook the role of sub-national governments, but this study examines the potential of sub-national participation to make policy choices which are congruent with global strategies and national mandates. This book investigates the emerging actors and new channels of Japan’s environmental governance which has been taking shape within an increasingly globalized international system. By analysing this important new phenomenon, it sheds light on the changing nature of Japan’s environmental policy and politics, and shows how the links between global strategies, national mandates and local action serve as an influential factor in Japan’s changing structures of environmental governance. Further, it demonstrates that decision-making competencies are shared between actors operating at different levels and in new spheres of authority, resulting from collaboration between state and non-state actors. It highlights a number of the problems, challenges, and critiques of the actors in environmental governance, as well as raising new empirical and theoretical puzzles for the future study of governance over environmental and global issues. Finally, it concludes that changes in the tiers and new spheres of authority are leading the nation towards an environmentally stable future positioned within socio-economic and political constraints. Demonstrating that bridging policy gaps between local action, national policy and global strategies is potentially a way of reinventing environmental policy, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of Environmental Studies, Environmental Politics and Japanese Politics.
Japan's Evolving Security Policy: Militarisation within a Pacifist Tradition (Routledge Studies on Think Asia)
by Kyoko HatakeyamaJapan has been expanding its military roles in the post-Cold War period. This book analyses the shift in Japan’s security policy by examining the collective ideas of political parties and the effect of an international norm. Starting with the analysis of the collective ideas held by political parties, this book delves into factors overlooked in existing literature, including the effects of domestic and international norms, as well as how an international norm is localised when a conflicting domestic norm already exists. The argument held throughout is that these factors play a primary role in framing Japan's security policy. Overall, three security areas are studied: Japan’s arms trade ban policy, Japan’s participation in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, and Japan’s enlarged military roles in international security. Close examination demonstrates that the weakening presence of the left since the mid-1990s and the localisation of an international norm encouraged Japan to broaden its military role. Providing a comprehensive picture of Japan’s evolving security policy, this book asserts that shifts have occurred in ways that do not violate the pacifist domestic norm. Japan's Evolving Security Policy will appeal to students and scholars of International Relations, Asian Politics, Asian Security Studies and Japanese Studies.
Japan's Foreign Aid: Old Continuities and New Directions (Routledge Contemporary Japan Series #Vol. 2)
by David AraseFilling a gap in the existing literature, this book analyzes the distinctive features of Japan’s development aid, especially technical co-operation, in comparison with other donors’ aid. Incorporating a wealth of research, it discusses whether Japan is behind other leading donor countries in rethinking its aid policy and whether it lacks transparency, sensitivity to recipient needs, and a coherent and coordinated policy that targets poverty. The volume assesses the nature and effectiveness of the administration of Japan’s aid, and explores the degree of involvement of private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Including contributions from experts with direct experience with Japanese ODA, the book provides a wide range of recipient and donor viewpoints and presents important policy recommendations.
Japan's Foreign Aid Challenge (Routledge Library Editions: Japan)
by Alan RixWhen this volume was published in 1993 it was the first comprehensive analysis of the major policy issues confronting Japan’s massive foreign aid programme. It deals with the philosophy behind Japan’s aid, Japanese reactions to the severe criticisms of its programmes and the beginnings of meaningful administrative reform of the complex aid system. Alan Rix goes on to examine the widespread innovation in programmes and policies to make Japan’s aid more responsive and the impact of the Asian bias in Japan’s aid.
Japan's Foreign Aid to Africa: Angola and Mozambique within the TICAD Process (Routledge Contemporary Japan Series)
by Pedro Amakasu RaposoThe Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) was established in 1993 with the intention of creating opportunities for trade and investment on both sides and the promotion of sustainable development. In 2003, the conference translated Japanese aid policy to Africa into three key pillars: human centered development, poverty reduction through economic growth, and the consolidation of peace, and since 2005 Africa has on several occasions been the largest recipient of Japanese overseas aid. Tracing Japanese foreign aid to Africa during and after the Cold War, this book examines how the TICAD process sits at the intersection of international relations and domestic decision making. Indeed, it questions whether the increase in aid has been driven by domestic changes such as demands from civil society and donor interest, or pressures emanating from the international system. Taking Angola and Mozambique as case studies, the book explores how Japan’s development cooperation with Africa has assisted previously war torn states make the transition from war to peace, and in doing so demonstrates the centrality of human security to Japanese foreign policy as a means of ensuring sustainable development. This book will have great interdisciplinary appeal to students and scholars of Japanese and African studies, Japanese politics, international relations theory, foreign policy, economic development and sustainable development.