Identity, Culture and Memory in Japanese Foreign Policy

This book interprets the changing nature of Japanese foreign policy through the concepts of identity, culture and memory. It goes beyond rational interpretation of material interests and focus on values and ideas that are inseparable and pervasive in Japanese domestic and foreign policy. A set of chapters written by established Japanese and foreign experts show the nuances of Japanese self-images and their role in defining their understanding of the world. Stemming from historical memories of World War Two, the reconciliation between Japan and other Asian countries, the formation of Japanese self in media discourse to the role of self-perception in defining Japanese contemporary foreign and economic policies, the book offers a holistic insight into Japanese psyche and its role in the political world. It will be of utmost interest not only to the scholars of Japanese foreign policy, but also to a wide public interested in understanding the uniqueness of Japanese state and its people.

Michal Kolmaš holds a Ph.D. in international relations from Charles University in Prague and is currently an associate professor at Metropolitan University Prague. His articles on Japanese foreign policy appeared in journals such as The Pacific Review, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, Japanese Journal of Political Science and others. His latest book National Identity and Japanese Revisionism was published in 2019.

Yoichiro Sato holds a Ph.D. in political science from University of Hawaii and is currently at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University. His more than ten published books include Regional Institutions, Geopolitics and Economics in the Asia Pacific (co-edited, 2017) and Re-Rising Japan (Peter Lang, 2017).