Kampen om idémessige forklaringer på japansk sikkerhetspolitikk: Kina i Japans identitetskonstruksjon

The Senkaku islands dispute between Japan and China underwent a period of heightened tension between 2010–2014. In this article we study the official and dominant Japanese discourse on the Senkaku islands dispute between Japan and China during this period. The objective is to contribute to the relational studies literature with an in-depth case study of China’s role as the ‘other’ in Japan’s identity construction during a critical period in East Asia. The article’s case study is based on a reading of texts from the Japanese government, elite politicians, academics, intellectuals and others engaged in Japan’s public sector. We present the most central signs that are used to contrast Japan and China and discuss the connection between these signs and their role in Japanese identity making. Our case study findings support those of other relational studies which suggest that Japan’s identity has undergone significant change since the end of the Cold War. The emergence of a Japanese identity where the use of military power for deterrence purposes seems more legitimate than in the postwar period is one of the most important changes today.

Abstract licence: CC BY

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