Identity, Nationalism and Threats to Northeast Asia Peace

Abstract

The escalating public debate over amendment of the Japanese constitution centres on the war-renouncing principles of Article 9 — the symbol of Japan's pacifist identity. Since elected to power, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his supporters have been steadfastly pushing to revise the constitution to remove pacifist constraints on the nation's Self-Defense Forces. In the face of growing insecurities generated by long economic stagnation, regional threats posed by North Korean missiles and rising Chinese hegemony, Japanese conservative politicians feel it is time to overhaul Japan's humiliating postwar regime represented by the pacifist constitution and restore Japan's pride and independence. This article examines the resurgence of nationalist discourse in Japan as a response to Japan's threatened identity and esteem. As the Japanese people become increasingly exposed to nationalist narratives and realistic threats, how have these affected their desire to maintain a pacifist identity? This paper further examines the pacifist attitudes of today's Japanese youth and to what extent they are in favour of changing the constitution to adopt a stronger military defence.

Beyond Militarisation: Japan’s Path to Civilian Power

“…However, due to Abe's actions in presenting himself as a proactive leader while claiming that Article 9 was a relic of the past (McCormack, 2014, p. 73), his pursuit of nationalist ideals drew widespread international criticism, but China and the two Koreas in particular perceived this new stance as a threat to regional stability. As a result, Abe's tenure was scrutinised over the years, ranging from growing concerns about Japan's remilitarisation (Gustaffson et al, 2018;Shibata, 2018) to observations of a more assertive Japanese security identity (Hughes, 2015;Ina, 2015;Iwami, 2018;McCormack, 2014). However, in terms of the civilian attributes of power during this period, they showed only a subtle shift in Japan's foreign and security policy (Maull, 2019).…”

Japan's Pacificism as National Identity and a 'Normal' Security Option

“…48 On the other side, Nasu argues the distinction between individual and collective self-defence is flawed because increasing regional threats favour a broad interpretation of art 9, which permits changes to the Self-Defense Force's role. 49 In 2018, Abe, who remained committed to ridding Japanese citizens of shame and guilt for the nation's war history, 50 proposed more modest but formal art 9 amendments; however, the domestic political situation and unstable public support for art 9 amendment prevented carriage of his agenda. 51 Concerns of increasing insecurity in the region led Japanese security planners to craft a three-tier response: 52 first, increase Japan's own military capability including by reforming the legal framework; second, deepen security cooperation within the existing US alliance; and finally, seek new regional security partners such as Australia, India and Singapore.…”

Open Hearts, Open Minds: Trust, Confidence and Security Building in Northeast Asia

“…The conditions that created the long Asian peace may be weakening in the current context. Rising nationalism has reduced the commitment of political leaders to renounce war and avoid disputes (Ryu 2017;Shibata 2018). Japan's former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and his successor Suga Yoshihide have sought to eliminate the war-renouncing clause in the Japanese constitution, and President Xi Jinping of China has refused to rule out the use of force in the sovereignty dispute between Taiwan and China.…”