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Japan’s Identity Crisis and Sino-Japanese Relations

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Disasters and Social Crisis in Contemporary Japan

Abstract

Japan’s social crises of the 1990s leading up to the unprecedented 3.11 earthquake disaster undermined the confidence and sense of security and selfhood of many Japanese. This chapter will examine the resurgence of nationalist discourse in Japan as an effort to reinterpret and reshape memory to restore the nation’s damaged collective esteem. The rise of nationalist discourse in Japan can be viewed through the lens of Japan’s identity crisis, as its state and people struggle to regain pride in the face of insecurity and anxieties generated by economic stagnation, natural disasters, and increasing competition with China. The recent agenda of the Japanese ruling elite to revamp Japan’s national identity as a proud, beautiful, and strong nation fuels tension with China. Drawing on social identity theory, I will explore the underlying dynamics of the Sino-Japanese “history problem” focusing specifically on Japanese defense of its collective esteem and positive national identity.

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Authors
  1. Ria Shibata
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Auckland, New Zealand

    Mark R. Mullins (Professor of Japanese Studies) (Professor of Japanese Studies)

  2. Sophia University, Japan

    Koichi Nakano (Professor of Political Science) (Professor of Political Science)

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© 2016 Ria Shibata

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Shibata, R. (2016). Japan’s Identity Crisis and Sino-Japanese Relations. In: Mullins, M.R., Nakano, K. (eds) Disasters and Social Crisis in Contemporary Japan. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137521323_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137521323_5

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-55877-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-52132-3

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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