Japanese State Research Articles

Gabe Masao in Translation

The following section includes an introduction to the work of Okinawan historian Gabe Masao by Wendy Matsumura and Tze M. Loo, along with translations of two of his articles that were previously available only in the original Japanese. First, Matsumura and Loo’s introduction situates Gabe’s work within the historiographical literature on the Ryūkyū kingdom’s annexation by the Japanese state, arguing that although he eschews the word “colonialism” to describe the process through which the newly formed Okinawa prefecture is incorporated into the empire, his work provides compelling evidence to support the application of a colonial framework to understand Japan’s rule of the prefecture. Next is Gabe’s essay “From Ryūkyū to Okinawa,” as excerpted and translated by Matsumura. Last is Loo’s excerpt and translation of Gabe’s “Actions toward Modern Japanese National Consciousness: The Case of Ryūkyū-Okinawa.”

Fighting Media Delinquency with Soviet Sound: Nikolai Ekk’s The Road to Life (1931) in Japan at a Time of Crisis

This paper uses a transmedial lens to examine Japan’s engagement with Soviet film, focusing on the 1933 adaptation of Nikolai Ekk’s The Road to Life (Putevka v zhizn’, 1931) for the Japanese pictorial medium of kamishibai. Challenging an unspoken consensus that it was The Road to Life’s status as ‘the first’ Soviet talkie that accounts for its tremendous success and continuing influence, it was in fact the film’s ‘conversion’ narrative that explains equally, if not more so, its popularity and impact. Although a product of a markedly different cultural context, The Road to Life and its depiction of reformed Soviet teenagers appealed to the Japanese state, the Japanese film industry, and to kamishibai creators alike, as each in their own way strove to distance themselves from an associative link with ‘juvenile delinquency,’ as well as from representatives of the Japanese Left who were increasingly persecuted by the state. As such, the film’s conversion narrative functions as a powerful metaphor for the political transformations that both Japan and its visual media underwent in the early 1930s.

Foreigner in contemporary Japanese state discourse: Constructing differences between the nation and the Other

Researchers note that Japanese national identity has been shaped by the nihonjinron ideology, which defines the country as culturally unique and mono-ethnic, thus constituting a divide between Japan and the rest of the world. However, in the context of globalization, the Japanese government, following the global trend, has engaged in a national branding program called “Cool Japan,” which aims to attract foreigners and therefore differs in its message from nihonjinron. Previous research suggests that, in reality, Cool Japan is not so much in conflict with nihonjiron narratives, but rather inherits their rhetoric. However, little attention has been paid to how foreigners are represented within this program. Therefore, our research question is this: How is the interaction between the nation/national subjects and foreigners portrayed in the Cool Japan discourse, and what characteristics are attributed to both groups?Through narrative analysis and critical discourse analysis, this study examines government-affiliated media: articles from the “Friends of Japan” section in a government magazine and episodes from the NHK documentary series “Japanology Plus.” The findings show that the analyzed materials reproduce the boundaries between Japanese people and foreigners, rearticulate Japan’s cultural uniqueness, and implicitly reinforce the narrative of mono-ethnicity. In “Friends of Japan,” foreigners are portrayed as enthusiasts of Japanese culture, expected to mediate between Japan and the world without being fully integrated. Similarly, in “Japanology Plus,” foreigners are depicted as “Japanophiles,” helping to bridge Japan and the world by sharing Japan’s uniqueness.The position of foreigners in this discourse is ambivalent: they appear subordinate to Japanese nationals but are also seen as capable of revitalizing the country’s economy and are thus valued. This duality reflects Japan’s struggle to balance globalization with affirming national identity in the logic of nihonjinron, highlighting the challenges of integrating foreigners into Japanese society.

Under Treasury Control: Japan’s Emergence as an Egalitarian, Small-government State

This study analyses the formation of a policy system that reduced income inequality in Japan in the 1960s, a period of rapid economic growth. According to comparative research, the Japanese state is an example of small government with income equality. Japan’s income inequality rose in the 1950s, and at that point, the government faced a decision about how to reduce income inequality, and particularly whether to expand social security and government size. This study uses primary materials to analyse how and why Japan became more egalitarian while maintaining a small-government state, focusing on fiscal rules set by the Ministry of Finance, which adopted a balanced budget rule that prevented the issuance of public bonds and limited the tax burden ratio. As reflected in the government’s Income Doubling Plan, this development led to a trade-off among factors, such as social security, public works, and tax cuts, which led to the subordination of social security. Despite public debt issuance in 1965, which was contrary to two fiscal rules, social security did not expand because of fiscal rigidification. Throughout the 1960s, spending on public works and income tax cuts was prioritised over social security, resulting in small government but also income equality.

Regional pathologies of late-stage neoliberalization: The case of Japan in East Asia

The ‘polycrisis’ of global capitalism has regional and national particularities that are worthy of exploration. In the case of East Asia, we see rising military, political and economic tensions which mirror global trends, but take a specific concrete regional form. We offer an explanation for these tensions in East Asia that highlight their roots in developments within the national models of capitalism that make up the region, in this case from the perspective of Japan. Drawing on a regulation theory framework, we show how Japan’s faltering national regime of accumulation has been through a constant process of neoliberalization since the early 1990s. This has prompted a number of institutional shifts, one of which includes increasing integration within the East Asian region. This, however, has produced a number of new problems, which we might consider to be general pathologies of late-stage neoliberalization and that are typically experienced at the regional level. In particular, we identify four interconnected and mutually reinforcing pathologies: heightened national economic and political rivalries; heightened market competition; increased vulnerability to disruption to region-wide commodity chains; and declining popular support that is being met by political attempts to adopt nationalist legitimation strategies. Such an account allows us to understand the obstacles and tensions preventing moves towards a smoother process of accumulation in the case of Japan in East Asia, and more generally throughout the contemporary global political economy, as well as offering a more complete account of the complexity and contradictions associated with the growing assertiveness of the Japanese state.

Contradictory rationales behind national education export: tracing the policy formation processes of EDU-Port Japan

ABSTRACT National education export strategies are on the rise. Many countries of the Global North brand and export their educational models, with Finland and Singapore doing so on the back of their success in international large-scale education assessments. This article investigates the policy formation processes of EDU-Port Japan, a nationally coordinated education export strategy launched in 2016. Touted as multi-ministerial and public–private partnerships, EDU-Port aims to globally promote and export ‘Japanese-style education’. The article elucidates how EDU-port emerged as a tentative assemblage of contingent political, economic and geopolitical conditions faced by the Japanese state at a specific historical juncture. By illuminating tensions and contradictions within EDU-Port, reflective of the conflicting interests among the diverse policy actors, the article challenges the assumed linearity and coherence of national education export strategies, uncovering complexities often overlooked in current scholarship on national education export.

Networked individualism with superficial integration: a study on Chinese entrepreneurs in Ikebukuro, Tokyo

ABSTRACT Drawing upon semi-structured interviews of Chinese entrepreneurs in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, this paper demonstrates the commonly marginal influence of kinship, townspeople attachment, and ethnic identity on Chinese entrepreneurs’ interpretive framework on their social networks and business activities. Instead, their narratives were dominated by individualistic reasoning based on rational judgments and pragmatic considerations. Meanwhile, Chinese entrepreneurs found ethnic market in Ikebukuro accessible and competitiveness and the policy support from the Japanese state friendly to business operations. However, they were not keen on interacting with local civic organizations and kept themselves aloof from local communities. These features could be concluded as networked individualism with superficial integration.

Geopolitical strategies and transnational environmental governance: A comparative study of international NGOs in Cambodia

Geopolitical strategies and transnational governance can synergistically interact to meet strategic ambitions and environmental targets. International NGOs and their transnational operations are the heart of these entangled dynamics. This study reveals how geopolitical strategies influence international NGOs and their transnational activities. Drawing on empirical insights from a comparative study of international NGOs (Japanese and Chinese) in Cambodia, we developed two models to elucidate the nature of this relationship. The “tight coupling” model is exemplified by Japanese NGOs that are closely aligned with the Japanese state’s geopolitical focus on soft power in Southeast Asia. This alignment results in strong state support in terms of resources and networking capabilities, enabling the NGOs to conduct long-term environmental work and build relationships with Cambodian communities through deep engagement. The “loose coupling” model is exemplified by Chinese NGOs whose alignment with China’s dominant geopolitical strategy (the Belt and Road Initiative) is relatively weak. Consequently, these NGOs receive limited state support, which restrict their ability to engage with local communities and achieve a sustainable impact. This study breaks new ground by weaving together the fields of geopolitics and transnational environmental governance, offering new insights regarding how to incorporate geopolitical perspectives in examining the roles of non-state actors in global environmental politics.

Toward a Japanese paradigm of settler-colonial urbanism?

Abstract The city of Sapporo, founded in 1869 by the Japanese government as a colonial headquarters in Hokkaido, developed as part of a global wave of settler-colonial urbanism. Like counterparts in North America and Australia, Sapporo facilitated economic, environmental and political transformations across Hokkaido that led to the displacement of Indigenous Ainu society by a soon overwhelming number of ethnically Japanese settlers. However, several historical factors distinguish Sapporo’s settler-colonial urbanism from its peers, including the long history of relations between the Ainu and Japanese; the heavy role of the Japanese state in Sapporo; and the lack of mass relocations of the Ainu to reservations far from their traditional homes.

The Development of AI Ethics in Japan: Ethics-washing Society 5.0?

This paper examines how AI ethics has been developed at the national level in Japan, and what this process reveals about broader Japanese state imaginaries of how advanced technology should be developed and used, and what a future with these technologies should look like. Key developments in the Japanese government’s approach to AI ethics and governance between 2014 and 2023 are laid out, based on an analysis of official reports and policy documents supplemented by data collected via semi-structured interviews with three expert members of the committees that formulated several key sets of ethical principles. The paper considers Japan’s positioning in the global race to develop AI ethics principles over this period, as well as the imaginary of AI within the wider historical context of imaginaries about the knowledge society in Japan. I suggest three ways in which AI ethics has been understood and instrumentalized in the Japanese context, and argue that the main methodology used to date—ELSI—complements the government’s utopian and techno-determinist imaginaries of the future while concealing a deeply conservative approach that serves to reproduce structural inequalities and discrimination despite the apparent internationalism and progressive values that are repeatedly expressed in state-promoted ethical principles.

Eğitim Yönetiminde Kaizen’in Kavramsal Çerçevesinin İncelenmesi

In today's world, the technology that is changing almost every day and developing rapidly is bringing with it inconceivable transformations. At the beginning of these transformation strategies, a collaborative management approach comes first. Collaborative management requires strategic integrity in a general sense. KAIZEN strategy, on the other hand, is the most important focus of the Japanese state's ability to cope with competition in the form of the most valuable concept in terms of the Japanese management system. KAIZEN, which is one of the most commonly used concepts in the Japanese government, appears in the form of a continuous development strategy that covers all working people. Innovations lean on technique, and the cost mechanics of acquiring the latest technique in a competitive workplace will also be in phase. At the same rate, the continuous increase in the manufacturing cost of the existing finished product is a conflict environment in which consumers need to ensure quality satisfaction, and the continuous development of the service process seems to be important costs and problems for companies. The importance of KAIZEN strategy method is also revealed in this focus, because it provides the solution of existing problems by creating a corporate culture in which the existence of problems in any enterprise is understood in every detail, coping with problems can be realized with the participation of every employee. Another important feature of the KAIZEN strategy method is that if the top management wants to make a lot of profit in the phase by ensuring the continuity of the power in the business field, it realizes that it is essential to meet the customer's needs in the most accurate way. Key Words: Educational Management, Kaizen, Conceptual Framework

Staging the Robot: Performing Techno-Politics of Innovation for Care Robotics in Japan

In response to the challenges posed by a rapidly aging society and its associated socio-economic difficulties, the Japanese government has encouraged the adoption of AI and robotics technologies for care. Conspicuous investments in these technologies in Japan underscore the dominance of techno-politics of innovation and the advocacy for the robotization of care practices. Such narratives — disseminated by the Japanese state, industry, media, and academia — often overlook the perspectives of the expected users of these technologies. This paper, rooted in a 14-month-long ethnographic study conducted at robotics labs in Japan and the UK in 2022–2023, examines the performance and ethical implications of technoscientific imaginaries portraying Socially Assistive Robots (SARs) as already reliable, safe, and efficient. It sheds light on the intricate relationship between science, technology, the state, and society, emphasizing their use as instruments of power for state-led national development objectives. Moreover, it exposes how technology is presented, creating an illusion of efficiency while neglecting the necessity of involving society in co-designing and co-producing these technologies. The paper ultimately advocates for responsible innovation, emphasizing in particular the need for user involvement to ensure these technologies are not only more efficient and reliable, but also more accessible, inclusive, and fairer.

Особенности современной японской пенитенциарной системы

The purpose of the study was to analyze the characteristic features of the modern Japanese penitentiary system. The author came to the conclusion that there are serious differences between the Japanese system and similar foreign ones, noting that it has a more severe regime of detention, superbly organized highly productive work activities of convicts, and succeeds in the correction and resocialization of persons in prison. At the same time, the Japanese state policy on the execution of criminal penalties enjoys considerable respect, authority, and is also widely supported by the entire public. The briefly outlined positive opti of the Japanese penitentiary policy, implemented by penitentiary institutions, after a comprehensive study, can be used in the Russian Federation, since the use of various social institutions, both state and public, will only increase the preventive effect and contribute to the re-education of convicts.

The Military Component and its Role in the History of the Japanese State and Society: The Specifics of the Japanese Military System in the 7th–9th Centuries

The purpose of this article is to analyze the role of the military component underlying the functioning of the Japanese state in the 7th–9th centuries. It was during this period that military houses appeared in Japan, and military service began to be perceived as one of the most important government functions. The recruitment of the armed forces was based on universal conscription. As part of the most important government codes, the Military Defense Law for the first time in Japan laid the foundation for the formation of the institution of universal conscription. In this regard, it is extremely interesting to trace how much the Japanese recruitment system coincided and whether it coincided at all with the Chinese one. Created at the turn of the 7th–8th centuries the army recruitment system was a complex phenomenon, which was undoubtedly a progressive step towards the formation and development of the Japanese state. However, despite all the progressiveness of this system, which was borrowed by the Japanese from China, in the conditions of Japanese reality (exorbitant burden for peasants and the absence of enemies) it turned out to be unnecessary and by the 9th century it was replaced by “private” formations. However, the fact that this system, with minimal changes, was taken as the basis of the Japanese Imperial Army in the second half of the 19th century and existed until 1945, speaks of its advanced character and enormous historical significance.

Soft Road to Trans-national Encompassment- Analyzing Role of Soft Power in Shaping the Contours of India-japan Relations

The 21st century has witnessed the emerging dominance of Asian countries with the shift of the global economic and strategic epicenter from west to east. As all the major powers intersect in the Asia Pacific region in this pursuit, influence is destined to be a stronger word than power. And this is the point where Soft Power critically interjects. Strategically placed between South East and West Asia, SAARC has been a significant global platform for deepening transnational integration and cooperation. While ethno-religious differences have kept the South Asian association disintegrated, Japan stood untouched by power contention, rather re-shaping its foreign policy outlook standing synonymous with a ‘cultural and economic powerhouse.’ The trust Japan has built over decades in developing Indo-Japan diplomacy through cultural appeal now stands exemplary for South Asian countries to look to these two nations for inspiration. In doing so, the role of Japan’s popular culture, along with the contemporary Japanese web series broadcasted to South Asian countries, has contributed significantly to the mass commercialization of Japanese culture, engendering an attraction toward a benign image of the Japanese state. While depicting Japan's refined lifestyle, modern yet very eastern, the J-dramas have penetrated young generations, creating a wave of Japan-ness in their minds and motivating them to learn the language. The National Education Policy of India 2020, too, has boosted the learning of Japanese among foreign languages right from the secondary level of education, and the JENESYS program has been continuously adding to the number of learners in India. From classic literary narratives to traditional arts- Kabuki, Bharatnatyam, sushi, sake, curry, and anime to kawaii culture, Bollywood, Yoga, and Zen, Japan has been binding the Indian community for decades. In the present era of intensified economic globalization, Soft Power's window allows Japan to maximize peaceful cooperation with her neighbors, particularly India.

The Empire’s Sweet Tooth

This article examines how the commercial success of Western-style confectionery (yōgashi) of the Japanese Empire was largely built on the capital and resources of colonial Taiwan. Building on existing studies that acknowledge the importance of Taiwan’s colonization in Japan’s sugar industry, this article explores the tension between sweetness and power in the Japanese Empire through the lens of Western-style confectionery, a product regarded as a symbol of progress and modernity. Through the examination of the activities of two confectionery companies—Niitaka Confectionery and Morinaga Confectionery—in Taiwan, this article addresses how the making of Western-style confectionery required raw materials other than sugar, such as bananas and cocoa, that were obtained through the means of colonialism. By expanding the studies on sweetness and colonialism from sugar to confectionery, the article shows that the sugar industry, confectionery manufacturers, and the Japanese state wove together a complicated network that formed the foundation of Japan’s rising empire of sweetness. It also highlights the significance of the colonization of Taiwan in the rise of Japan’s Western-style confectionery industry that has long been obscured in people’s memories of sweetness.

What does it mean to be a Christian nationalist in Meiji Japan?: Religion, nationalism and the state

ABSTRACT The article aims to better understand Christian nationalism by investigating the cases of Uchimura Kanzō and Nitobe Inazō, two well-known Christians of Meiji Japan. In Meiji Japan, Christianity was a recently re-introduced and foreign faith which was not aligned with the Japanese way of life. However, both Uchimura and Nitobe converted to Christianity in their youth and dedicated their life to the development of Japan. The article investigates what made this possible. It pays particular attention to the relationship between politics and religion and the Meiji government’s attempts to adopt the western view of the relationship to the nascent Japanese state. It argues that the invention of state Shintō as a non-religion but an indispensable part of the Japanese polity by the Meiji government created space where Christian faith and Japanese nationalism could co-exist, the space which was increasingly squeezed as Meiji turned to Taishō and then to Shōwa.

Watching Doraemon: Dismantling hegemony in a Japanese popular series

This article examines hegemony spread through Japanese popular series, Doraemon. In 2008, the character Doraemon was made the Anime Ambassador and was sent around the world to campaign for Japanese popular culture. This appointment is part of the Japanese government's public diplomacy strategy. Doraemon is then synonymous with the perfect character figure, which has become one of the symbols of the progress of the Japanese state. Hegemony theory is used to dissect how ideology works through characters that have become state icons and are widely accepted with a very positive image. The results of the analysis show that patriarchal hegemony works through the depiction of scary female characters, male superiority, and the role of the media as a means of ideological dissemination. The Doraemon series preserves the patriarchy wrapped in a beautiful dream story of a future with Japan's advanced technology.

IE System in Modern Japanese Society

This paper explores the transformation of the traditional family system in Japanese society, known as the IE system, to a modern family structure influenced by Western ideologies. Historically, the Japanese state was conceptualized as a family state or kazokukokka, with the emperor as the head of the family, as seen in the Meiji Constitution. However, after Japan's defeat in World War II, the allied governments abolished this system, leading to gradual changes in the societal structure. The objective of this research is to investigate how Japanese people have adapted their family system from the traditional IE system to a modern one. The study utilizes a descriptive qualitative approach, employing field research reports and literature related to the contemporary Japanese family system. Data was collected and analyzed using descriptive methods to draw conclusions. The findings of the research highlight that while the IE system was officially removed from the Japanese Constitution, its influence persists in certain aspects of modern Japanese society. Scholars widely agree that remnants of the traditional family system still endure due to the lack of a viable replacement. Eradicating a deeply rooted cultural tradition developed over centuries proves to be a challenging task. This study sheds light on the coexistence of traditional and modern elements within the Japanese family system, presenting a nuanced understanding of how the IE system continues to partially shape family dynamics in contemporary Japanese society.

The Other Japan: Back to Japan’s Religious Roots for a New Japanese Nationalism?

The purpose of this article is first to elucidate the nature and worldview of theideology of pre–World War II Japan that inspired the Japanese elite to embark on global conquest and that mobilized the Japanese masses to fight to the death even after the dropping of the atomic bombs. Second, the aim is to examine how this ideology first emerged in the Meiji period and how it came to dominate Japanese politics until the end of the war. Third, it will illustrate not only what has survived of this form of ultranationalism in the postwar period, identifying the ideas of core thinkers and organizations, but it will also examine the emergence of different, or perhaps more moderate, forms of Japanese nationalism, pinpointing their key ideas and describing their visions for a future Japan. Finally, I will attempt to shed light on the historical forces and scenarios that might return Japanese ultranationalists to the center of political influence and power in the Japanese state and overturn Japan’s postwar pacifist constitution and noninterventionist military foreign policy.