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Local Governments in Japan and Roles Played in Sino-Japanese Relations

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Abstract

The potential roles played by local governments in Japan regarding Sino-Japanese relations are often neglected. Drawing upon a few representative case studies by highlighting the interaction between local and international politics, the article aims at analyzing the possible impacts of Japan’s local governments on Sino-Japanese relations in the future. First, it reviews the theoretical framework of sub-national or paradiplomacy and the relevant literature on Japan’s local governments in such framework. Second, through showing how their local leaders attempted to pursue local or personal interests by taking Sino-Japanese relations as hostage, it uses four local governments in Japan that have peculiar interaction with China as case studies. Finally, it previews some patterns as derived from the cases, in order to draw some implications for both Tokyo and Beijing.

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Notes

  1. This is not an isolated case. The embassy in Niigata also suffered a similar fate, and plans for the construction of a Chinatown in Sendai had been rejected by Mayor Katsuhiko Umehara. China Review (2011). “Zhongguo Zhuri Lingguan Jian Xinguan Yuzhu Huoshi Youyi Shili Caozong”. (China’s troubles in building new consulates in Japan might be planned by Japan rightists), 12 January.

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Acknowledgments

The author acknowledges Mingpao for publishing the concepts of part of this paper in Chinese in their rough versions, the assistance of Mr. Wing-lok Hung and Mr. Kipling Chang in researching and the comments given by the Japanese consulate in Hong Kong.

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  1. Faculty of Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Room 401A, Hui Yeung Shing Building, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong

    Simon Xu Hui Shen

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Shen, S.X.H. Local Governments in Japan and Roles Played in Sino-Japanese Relations. East Asia 31, 49–65 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12140-014-9205-3

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