Russian and Japanese approaches to the Korean Peninsula: A comparison from a societal viewpoint

Abstract

The article compares Russian and Japanese approaches to security on and around the Korean Peninsula from the viewpoint of the English school of international studies. The English school is not a popular approach to international studies in Russia, where many scholars and decision-makers believe that international society is an instrument that helps Western nations to pursue their interests, not an alliance based on shared values. Russian scholars and decision-makers do not view their relationship with any of the main stakeholders in the debate on Korean security, including the U.S., China, Japan, and two Korean states, as a relationship based on shared values. At the same time, Russian scholars and decision-makers admit that their country has some interests in common with all stakeholders of the debate on Korean security, including Japan. In Japan, the English school is a popular approach to international studies, and the belief that Japan belongs to the same international society as the U.S. is widely spread among both scholars and decision-makers. At the same time, the intensifying conflict between Japan and South Korea makes scholars and decision-makers in the former country believe that the relationship between the two countries is not grounded in shared values, despite some common interests. The Japanese-South Korean conflict, on the Asian border of international society, necessitates revisiting the issue of limits on the enlargement of the international society.