Explaining Japanese Policy Responses to the U.S. War on Terrorism: Realism, Neoliberalism and Constructivism

Event details
Speaker : Dr Ryoko Nakano
               Research Fellow, Nanzan University Institute for Social Ethics
Date      : Friday, 15 February 2008
Time      : 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Venue    : AS4/03-28 (JS Meeting Room)

Abstract

This presentation aims to analyze Japanese policy responses to the U.S. War on Terrorism through the lenses of three major theories of International Relations: Realism, Neoliberalism and Constructivism.

First, I give a brief account of Japan 's commitment to the War on Terrorism, particularly focusing on the deployment of the Self-Defense Force (SDF) in the Indian Ocean and Iraq. Both the Koizumi and Abe administrations showed unprecedented political activism in contributing to the U.S.-led antiterrorism operations regardless the risk of violating Article 9 of the Constitution, the “renunciation of war” clause. Second, I introduce a Realist perspective for explaining Japan 's decision to dispatch the SDF abroad. While the explanatory leverage of this perspective can be found in the analysis of Japan as a state which aimed to compete with China over leadership in East Asia and to counter a potential attack from North Korea , the Realist perspective fails to adequately explain the suspension of SDF's refuelling mission in the Indian Ocean. Third, the Neoliberal perspective would explain SDF deployment abroad as a means to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and stability, which is crucial to Japanese economic prosperity. Fourth, I demonstrate the explanatory leverage of the Constructivist perspective because it sheds light on the growing tension between the Japanese role norms of a client state and a civilian power as a major cause of the suspension of SDF's refuelling mission. The strength of the Constructivist approach can be found in its emphasis of the normative underpinnings of foreign policy, which provides a more nuanced and detailed account of Japan 's state behaviour, as it takes into account historical and cultural particulars. Finally, I conclude that Constructivism provides perhaps the sharpest lens through which we may want to explain Japan 's policy responses to the War on Terrorism.

About the speaker

Ryoko Nakano, DPhil (Oxford), MScEcon (Wales , Aberystwyth), MA (Kobe)

Dr Ryoko Nakano's research focuses on Japanese politics and international relations. Currently she is working on the following research themes: 1) Empire and its supporting structure: Japan as a client state after 1945, 2) the regional dimension of global norms (e.g. Japanese and Chinese perspectives on the Responsibility to Protect), and 3) politics of empire and globalization in Japanese intellectual thought: Yanaihara Tadao.

Her two latest publications related to Yanaihara Tadao (1896-1961) have appeared in Millennium: Journal of International Studies and Social Science Japan Journal.

Dr Nakano previously worked as a visiting lecturer at the University of Westminster, and is currently a research fellow at Nanzan University Institute for Social Ethics teaching International Relations, Japanese Colonial Empire and Civil Society in Japan .