Japan’s South Caucasian diplomacy: the development of Japanese foreign policy towards Georgia

Abstract

The paper examines Japan’s foreign policy towards the South Caucasus through the case study of Japanese engagement in Georgia. The goal of the study is to explore the formulation of Japan’s official foreign policy towards Georgia and to highlight the ideational factors influencing the process. As for the timeframe, the thesis is focused on the period from 1992 to 2016. Following the constructivist theory of International Relations, claiming the reality to be shaped by the perceptions of the actors, the study engages in documentary analysis and tries to provide a comprehensive understanding of Japan’s policymaking regarding the South Caucasus. The study contradicts the dominant positivist claims and argues that Japan’s official foreign policy discourse regarding the South Caucasus is constructed according to Japanese perceptions of world affairs, its domestic environment, the situation in the South Caucasus itself, the imagined role for Japan (identity), and the norms and values that were believed to have universal importance. As for the development of Japanese foreign policy towards Georgia, the author differentiates three stages in the construction of Japan’s approach: (1) No strategy (1992–1996); (2) “Eurasian Diplomacy” (1997–2005); and (3) “Arc of Freedom and Prosperity” (2006–2016), while the factors claimed to be influencing these dynamics are the ideas, beliefs, and values of Japan.