The EU–Japan Partnership in the Shadow of China

The EU–Japan Partnership in the Shadow of China
Author: Axel Berkofsky
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2018-06-27
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 135117214X

Both the European Union and Japan have been major beneficiaries and supporters of the liberal international order, first led by the United States since the end of World War II. During this period, they have emerged as global powers, however, the very order that nurtured their rise is now facing twin threats. First, through authoritarian China’s promotion of alternative models of global governance, and second from a crisis of liberalism, manifested in the policies of President Donald Trump and Brexit. This book explores these challenges faced by both the EU and Japan, providing a multidisciplinary approach to studying the relationship between the two. It analyses their cooperation in terms of security, defence and trade and examines how their shared normative values are ultimately implemented. Having recently concluded an Economic Partnership Agreement and with a Strategic Partnership Agreement in the pipeline, this book asks whether they can convert their latent and modest cooperation into an alternative form of leadership and an antidote to the illiberal tide sweeping the developed world? As the first book to shed light on the new Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and Japan, this book will be useful to students and scholars of Japanese Studies, as well as European Union politics and international political economy more generally.

Japan's Aging Peace

Japan's Aging Peace
Author: Tom Phuong Le
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 388
Release: 2021-06-22
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0231553285

Since the end of World War II, Japan has not sought to remilitarize, and its postwar constitution commits to renouncing aggressive warfare. Yet many inside and outside Japan have asked whether the country should or will return to commanding armed forces amid an increasingly challenging regional and global context and as domestic politics have shifted in favor of demonstrations of national strength. Tom Phuong Le offers a novel explanation of Japan’s reluctance to remilitarize that foregrounds the relationship between demographics and security. Japan’s Aging Peace demonstrates how changing perceptions of security across generations have culminated in a culture of antimilitarism that constrains the government’s efforts to pursue a more martial foreign policy. Le challenges a simple opposition between militarism and pacifism, arguing that Japanese security discourse should be understood in terms of “multiple militarisms,” which can legitimate choices such as the mobilization of the Japan Self-Defense Forces for peacekeeping operations and humanitarian relief missions. Le highlights how factors that are not typically linked to security policy, such as aging and declining populations and gender inequality, have played crucial roles. He contends that the case of Japan challenges the presumption in international relations scholarship that states must pursue the use of force or be punished, showing how widespread normative beliefs have restrained Japanese policy makers. Drawing on interviews with policy makers, military personnel, atomic bomb survivors, museum coordinators, grassroots activists, and other stakeholders, as well as analysis of peace museums and social movements, Japan’s Aging Peace provides new insights for scholars of Asian politics, international relations, and Japanese foreign policy.

Navigating East Asian Maritime Conflicts

Navigating East Asian Maritime Conflicts
Author: Paul Midford
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2024
Genre: Conflict management
ISBN: 3031519892

“This volume brings together leading experts to examine the potentials for maritime conflict and cooperation in a region where geopolitical rivalries are intensifying. I highly recommend it to scholars, practitioners, and students alike.” —Miranda A. Schreurs, Professor, Technical University of Munich. “With an original approach to maritime conflicts that focuses on the effects of technological and environmental change, this is a must-read for anyone interested in East Asian peace and security!” — Stein Tønnesson, Research Professor Emeritus, Peace Research Institute Oslo “A crucial read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of maritime conflicts in East Asia and their broader global implications.” —Yurika Ishii, Associate Professor, National Defense Academy of Japan “The volume offers multi-disciplinary perspectives that reach across disciplinary boundaries and connect perspectivesfrom natural sciences and engineering to social sciences and policy.” —Clive Schofield, Professor, University of Wollongong, Australia As technological development and diffusion have greatly increased the resources states can recover from maritime space, the stakes of these conflicts have grown. Nowhere is this clearer than in East Asia. This book examines how technological change and diffusion impact East Asian maritime conflicts, and approaches for conflict management and resolution. Paul Midford is Professor of Political Science, Meiji Gakuin University, Japan. Jennifer L. Bailey is Professor of Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway. Katja Levy is Associate Professor of Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway. Espen Moe is Professor of Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway.

The SAGE Handbook of Asian Foreign Policy

The SAGE Handbook of Asian Foreign Policy
Author: Takashi Inoguchi
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 1325
Release: 2021-08-04
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1526455560

Comprising 60.3 percent of the world’s 7.2 billion population, Asia is an enigma to many in the West. Hugely dynamic in its demographic, economic, technological and financial development, its changes are as rapid as they are diverse. The SAGE Handbook of Asian Foreign Policy provides the reader with a clear, balanced and comprehensive overview on Asia’s foreign policy and accompanying theoretical trends. Placing the diverse and dynamic substance of Asia’s international relations first, and bringing together an authoritative assembly of contributors from across the world, this is a reliable introduction to non-Western intellectual traditions in Asia. VOLUME 1: PART 1: Theories PART 2: Themes PART 3: Transnational Politics PART 4: Domestic Politics PART 5; Transnational Economics VOLUME 2: PART 6: Foreign Policies of Asian States Part 6a: East Asia Part 6b: Southeast Asia Part 6c: South & Central Asia Part 7: Offshore Actors Part 8: Bilateral Issues Part 9: Comparison of Asian Sub-Regions

Japan's Future and a New Meiji Transformation

Japan's Future and a New Meiji Transformation
Author: Ken Coates
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 347
Release: 2019-03-27
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0429615183

Bringing together the work of sixteen international Japan specialists and scholars, this book analyzes Japan’s culture and history to reflect on the critical policy decisions and national commitments required for the country to continue to succeed. Comparing the current situation with the uncertainties of the late nineteenth century, this book investigates the possibility and desirability of a "New Meiji Transformation" in Japan. Set in the context of perceived demographic, ecological, fiscal and political decline in Japan, it explores what a New Meiji initiative would look like in the twenty-first century and whether a new era of renewal is needed to maintain and improve quality of life. An interdisciplinary volume, this book covers contemporary issues in Japanese foreign, defense and nuclear strategies, as well as its aging population, higher education structure and environmental policies. As such Japan’s Future and a New Meiji Transformation will be of great interest to students and scholars of Japanese politics, economics and history, as well as Asian Studies more generally.

Disciplining Democracies

Disciplining Democracies
Author: Lindsay Black
Publisher: Policy Press
Total Pages: 247
Release: 2023-07-27
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1529232864

This book examines Japan’s relationship with Myanmar from the passage of its constitution in May 2008 to the February 2021 coup d’état that finished its transition to a ‘disciplined democracy.’ It explores the nexus between security and political economy in the context of changing regional dynamics characterized by ‘Great Power’ competition and cooperation. Focusing on the impact of Japan’s relations with Myanmar on people in Myanmar and beyond, the author argues that the Japanese government and businesses side lined ‘universal values’ for profit at the expense of human security. This text develops a unique Area Studies approach that critiques how Japan’s foreign policy elites perceive Japan’s role in the liberal international order.

Globalization, Political Economy, Business and Society in Pandemic Times

Globalization, Political Economy, Business and Society in Pandemic Times
Author: Tony Fang
Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing
Total Pages: 366
Release: 2021-12-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1800717938

Globalization, Political Economy, Business and Society in Pandemic Times contributes to the growing literature on COVID-19 through a multidisciplinary approach by helping build a holistic understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics, economies, business, and society in a globalized world.

China’s Rise, Asia's Decline: Asia’s difficult outlook under China’s shadow

China’s Rise, Asia's Decline: Asia’s difficult outlook under China’s shadow
Author: William Bratton
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd
Total Pages: 181
Release: 2020-01-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9814928968

China’s rise will be long-term punitive for the rest of Asia. Across all aspects of Asian geopolitics and economics, China’s ascendency to regional hegemonic status will result in the decline of its neighbours’ political independence, economic dynamism and future growth potential. Any short-term benefits of China’s growth, such as increased trade, will be transitory. The longer-term implications of its emergence as the regional hegemon will be greater economic and financial dependencies and vulnerabilities, the large-scale shift of business activity to within its boundaries and its increasing geopolitical influence across the region. The challenge for China’s neighbours is how to respond to these evolving dynamics, especially as their strategic options are increasingly limited and few of the potential future scenarios are long-term positive. China’s rise, therefore, be Asia’s decline.

Temporal Identities and Security Policy in Postwar Japan

Temporal Identities and Security Policy in Postwar Japan
Author: Ulv Hanssen
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 403
Release: 2019-06-13
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0429823819

Through a discourse analysis of Japanese parliamentary debates, this book explores how different understandings of Japan’s history have led to sharply divergent security policies in the postwar period, whilst providing an explanation for the much-debated security policy changes under Abe Shinzō. Analyzing the ways identities can be constructed through ‘temporal othering,’ as well as ‘spatial othering,’ this book examines the rise of a new form of identity in Japan since the end of the Cold War, one that is differentiated not from prewar and wartime Japan, but from postwar Japan. The champions of this identity, it argues, see the postwar past as a shameful period, characterized by self-imposed military restrictions, and thus the relentless chipping away of these limitations in recent years is indicative of how dominant this identity has become. Exploring how these military restrictions have shifted from being a symbol of pride to a symbol of shame, this book demonstrates the concrete ways in which the past can both enable and constrain policy. Temporal Identities and Security Policy in Postwar Japan will be invaluable to students and scholars of Japanese politics and foreign policy, as well as international relations more generally.