Post-War Japan and Asianism

In recent years there has been lively debate over the concept of an Asian community. Historically, however, an Asianism that espouses the notion of “Asia for the Asians” has been around for a long time. This article examines post-war Japan's return to Asia from the perspective of Asianism. The Asianism of post-war Japan was manifested in Japan's eagerness to advance into the vacuum created by the withdrawal of the Western European nations from Southeast Asia. However, this came up against Asia's own brand of Asianism, which emphasized independence first and foremost. It was the loss of its underpinnings by this latter brand of Asianism, as from 1970 onward, colonial rule and the political leaders who shouldered independence disappeared from the face of Southeast Asia, that lent impetus to Japan's advance into the region.     

Post-War Asia and Japan—Moving beyond the Cold War: an Historical Perspective

This article explores the role of Japan in post-war Asia to endeavor to present a more accurate picture than the one-dimensional portrayal of Japan as an exclusively economic presence. By taking three viewpoints into consideration, the author attempts to provide a picture of international politics in post-war Asia as an integrated whole.     

Foreign Policy Making Under Koizumi: Norms and Japan's Role in the 2003 Iraq War

Japan's policy toward the 2003 Iraq War is a test of the constructivist argument about the weight of norms as opposed to material systemic factors in foreign policy making. Constructions of external threats and interests were contested between a largely realist-minded elite around prime minister Koizumi bent on Japan's remilitarization and those still holding to antimilitarist norms. This contest is traced in an analysis of the policy-making process, including the role of bureaucratic and political institutions, the opposition parties and the public. Indicative of the power of norms, Koizumi was forced to compromise his ambition to use the Iraq crisis to help make Japan a "normal" great power.