Japan’s Rhetoric of Crisis: Prospects for Change after 3.11

Abstract

For some Japanese political entrepreneurs, the March 2011 catastrophe in Tohoku (3.11) was a warning for Japan to “put it in gear” and head in a new direction—away from nuclear power or toward a muscular military. For others, 3.11 was a once-in-a-millennium “black swan,” so Japan should “stay the course.” Still others say Japan must rebuild what was lost to modernity and globalization. The battle among these perspectives on change and the use of three other tropes—leadership, community, and risk—have defined post-3.11 politics and public policy in Japan.