Abstract
To explore the causal role of cognition about subjugation in the justification of the geopolitical status quo, Japanese attitudes about U.S.–Japan relations were assessed after experimentally making salient either Japan’s dominance or subjugation regarding the United States. In addition, participants completed measures of ideology, including system justification, social dominance orientation, and right-wing authoritarianism. Results demonstrated that those reminded of Japan’s geopolitical subjugation to (but not dominance over) the U.S. endorsed U.S. hegemony to the degree that system justification motivation was high. Findings suggest that (a) international hierarchies have attitudinal consequences that may be especially pronounced among those who endorse the status quo, and (b) current Japanese policy-related attitudes are influenced by the salience of U.S. hegemony in Japan.
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Notes
This item was changed from the original Altemeyer’s scale. The original item was, “Our country desperately needs a mighty leader who will do what has to be done to destroy the radical new ways and sinfulness that are ruining us.”
This item was changed from its original version. Altemeyer’s original item was, “There are many radicals, immoral people in our country today, who are trying to ruin it for their own godless purposes, whom the authorities should put out of action.”
This item was changed from its original version. The original item was, “It is always better to trust the judgments of the proper authorities in government and religion than to listen to the noisy rabble-rousers in our society who are trying to create doubt in people’s minds.”
This item was changed from its original version. The original item was, “Our country will be destroyed someday if we do not smash the perversions eating at our moral fibers and traditional beliefs.”
This item was changed from its original version. The original item was, “The facts on crime, sexual immorality, and the recent public disorders all show we have to crack down harder on deviant groups and troublemakers if we are going to save our moral standards and preserve law and order.”
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported in part by PSC-CUNY research Grant (69408-00 38) awarded to Curtis D. Hardin. For helpful discussions of this research we thank Rick Cheung, Karla Felix, and John Jost’s laboratory at New York University. In addition, we are grateful to Dr. Yousho Oh, Dr. Kiyohide Ishimoto, and Dr. Yuriko Kite who generously provided class periods for data collection and advice regarding the Japanese translations.
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Yoshimura, K., Hardin, C.D. Cognitive Salience of Subjugation and the Ideological Justification of U.S. Geopolitical Dominance in Japan. Soc Just Res 22, 298–311 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-009-0102-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-009-0102-7