Table Of ContentJapan as a ‘normal Country’?
a nation in searCh of its plaCe in the World
for decades, Japan’s foreign policy has been seen by both internal and
external observers as abnormal in relation to its size and level of sophis-
tication. Japan as a ‘Normal Country’? is a thematic and geographically
comparative discussion of the unique limitations of Japanese foreign
and defence policy. the contributors reappraise the definition of nor-
mality and ask whether Japan is indeed abnormal, what it would mean
to become normal, and whether the country can – or should – become
so.
identifying constraints such as an inflexible constitution, inherent
antimilitarism, and the nation’s position as a u.s. security client, Japan
as a ‘Normal Country’? goes on to analyse factors that could make Japan
a more effective regional and global player. taken together, the essays
in this volume ultimately consider how Japan could leverage its con-
siderable human, cultural, technological, and financial capital to the
benefit of both its citizens and the world.
(Japan and Global society)
yoshihide soeya is a professor in the faculty of law at Keio university.
masayuki tadokoro is a professor in the faculty of law at Keio
university.
david a. welch is a professor in the Balsillie school of international
affairs at the university of Waterloo.
Japan and Global Society
editors: aKira iriye, harvard university; masato Kimura,
shibusawa eiichi memorial foundation; daVid a. WelCh, Balsillie
school of international affairs, university of Waterloo
how has Japan shaped, and been shaped by, globalization – politi-
cally, economically, socially, and culturally? how has its identity, and
how have its objectives, changed? Japan and Global Society explores
Japan’s past, present, and future interactions with the asia pacific and
the world from a wide variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary
perspectives and through diverse paradigmatic lenses. titles in this
series are intended to showcase international scholarship on Japan
and its regional neighbours that will appeal to scholars in disciplines
in both the humanities and the social sciences.
Japan and Global Society is supported by generous grants from the
shibusawa eiichi memorial foundation and the university of
missouri–st louis.
Editorial Advisory Board
frederick r. dickinson, university of pennsylvania
michael donnelly, university of toronto
Joel Glassman, university of missouri–st louis
izumi Koide, shibusawa eiichi memorial foundation
Gil latz, portland state university
michael a. schneider, Knox College
patricia G. steinhoff, university of hawaii at manoa
patricia Wetzel, portland state university
edited By yoshihide soeya,
masayuKi tadoKoro, and
daVid a. WelCh
Japan as a ‘normal Country’?
a nation in search of its place
in the World
uniVersity of toronto press
toronto Buffalo london
© university of toronto press 2011
toronto Buffalo london
www.utppublishing.com
printed in Canada
isBn 978-1-4426-4253-9 (cloth)
isBn 978-1-4426-1140-5 (paper)
printed on acid-free, 100% post-consumer recycled paper with
vegetable-based inks.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Japan as a ‘normal country’? : a nation in search of its place in the world /
edited by yoshihide soeya, masayuki tadokoro, and david a. Welch.
(Japan and global society)
includes bibliographical references.
isBn 978-1-4426-4253-9 (bound). – isBn 978-1-4426-1140-5 (pbk.)
1. Japan – foreign relations – 1945–. 2. Japan – military policy.
3. Japan – politics and government – 1945–. i. soeya, yoshihide, 1955–
ii. tadokoro, masayuki, 1956– iii. Welch, david a. iV. series: Japan
and global society series
JZ1745.J37 2011 327.52099045 C2011-902098-X
university of toronto press acknowledges the financial assistance to its
publishing program of the Canada Council for the arts and the ontario
arts Council.
university of toronto press acknowledges the financial support of the
Government of Canada through the Canada Book fund for its publishing
activities.
Contents
Preface vii
introduction: What is a ‘normal Country’?
yoshihide soeya, masayuki tadokoro, and david a. welch 3
1 embracing normalcy: toward a Japanese ‘national strategy’
david a. welch 16
2 Change and Continuity in Japan’s ‘abnormalcy’: an emerging
external attitude of the Japanese public
masayuki tadokoro 38
3 a ‘normal’ middle power: interpreting Changes in Japanese
security policy in the 1990s and after
yoshihide soeya 72
4 Conservative Conceptions of Japan as a ‘normal Country’:
Comparing ozawa, nakasone, and ishihara
cheol hee park 98
5 Chinese discourse on Japan as a ‘normal Country’
jianwei wang 121
6 the limits to ‘normalcy’: Japanese-Korean post–Cold War
interactions
john swenson-wright 146
vi Contents
7 Japan’s relations with southeast asia in the post–Cold War era:
‘abnormal’ no more?
peng er lam 193
Contributors 209
preface
university of toronto press, in cooperation with the university of
missouri–st louis and the shibusawa eiichi memorial foundation of
tokyo, is launching an ambitious new series, ‘Japan and Global soci-
ety.’ the volumes in the series will explore how Japan has defined its
identity and objectives in the larger region of asia and the pacific and,
at the same time, how the global community has been shaped by Japan
and its interactions with other countries.
the dual focus on Japan and on global society reflects the series
editors’ and publishers’ commitment to globalizing national studies.
scholars and readers have become increasingly aware that it makes
little sense to treat a country in isolation. all countries are interde-
pendent and shaped by cross-national forces so that mono-national
studies, those that examine a country’s past and present in isolation,
are never satisfactory. such awareness has grown during the past few
decades when global, transnational phenomena and forces have gained
prominence. in the age of globalization, no country retains complete
autonomy or freedom of action. yet nations continue to act in pursuit
of their respective national interests, which frequently results in inter-
national tensions. financial, social, and educational policies continue to
be defined domestically, with national communities as units. But trans-
national economic, environmental, and cultural forces always infringe
upon national entities, transforming them in subtle and sometimes
even violent ways. Global society, consisting of billions of individuals
and their organizations, evolves and shapes national communities even
as the latter contribute to defining the overall human community.
Japan provides a particularly pertinent instance of such interaction,
but this series is not limited to studies of that country alone. indeed,
viii preface
the books published in the series will show that there is little unique
about Japan, whose history has been shaped by interactions with Chi-
na, Korea, the united states, and many other countries. for this reason,
forthcoming volumes will deal with countries in the asia-pacific region
and compare their respective developments and shared destinies. at
the same time, some studies in the series will transcend national frame-
works and discuss more transnational themes, such as humanitari-
anism, migration, and diseases, documenting how these phenomena
affect Japan and other countries and how, at the same time, they con-
tribute to the making of a more interdependent global society.
lastly, we hope these studies will help to promote an understand-
ing of non-national entities, such as regions, religions, and civilizations.
modern history continues to be examined in terms of nations as the key
units of analysis, and yet these other entities have their own vibrant
histories, which do not necessarily coincide with nation-centred nar-
ratives. to look at Japan, or for that matter any other country, and to
examine its past and present in these alternative frameworks will enrich
our understanding of modern world history and of the contemporary
global civilization.
akira iriye
Japan as a ‘normal Country’?
a nation in searCh of its plaCe in the World
