The uniqueness of Japan's diplomacy: From Meiji to today

Résumé du document

Japan has always claimed for a particular place in international relations. The Japanese prefer their country to be a unique model of integration – or non-integration – in the world's diplomatic system rather than a “normal power” that has never been supported by any majority of Japanese diplomats.

Thus, we can wonder what is the “uniqueness of Japan's diplomacy?

Obviously, such uniqueness can be defined by the contradictions in Japan's international aims and the paradoxes in her vision of her place within the world and within the state's alliances – radically opposed views in international relations have always defined Japanese diplomacy in her history.

Indeed, Japan always swung between isolationism and internationalism, Asianism or alliance with the West, independent leadership or alignment with a great power.

Extraits

[...] After the World War, Japan participated to the World War Paris Peace Conference and joined the new world's organization League of Nations. However, all the attempts of Japan to integrate fully the of the European and American international leaders did not succeeded. Japan, despite her involvements in war and international organizations and treaties, had never be fully accepted as a stable and reliable international power by the others, maybe because of her young rise to the level of great power or simply by the racism of the Western community that did not accepted at this time that a non-white nation can be equal to the Western ones. [...]

[...] This way, although Japan definitely accepted her integration to the West, Japan still wanted to be considered by East Asian countries as an example, a leader to follow. This leadership feeling of Japan was confirmed during the second XXth century by her “economic miracle” that legitimated Japan as the “economic beacon” of East Asia, whereas China during the whole century did not succeeded in affirming its economic power. As a synthesis of these two orientations of Japanese diplomacy of the last two centuries that have sometimes been contradictory leadership in Asia and alliance with the West - the Diplomatic Bluebook of Kishi Nobusuke's Cabinet published in 1957 defined Japan's place in international relations by three aims : in addition to liberal internationalism, Japan should “cooperate with the free countries” and “holding fast to being a member of Asia”. [...]

[...] First of all, one of the characteristics of the uniqueness of Japan's diplomacy is her paradoxical position with the world that alternated between isolationism and world integration. Certainly the fact of being an island has provoked two opposed considerations of the world among Japanese: the fear of foreign influence and the ambition to play a key part in the world environing the island. The greatest achievement of Japan's desire to be “protected” by foreign influences thanks to isolationism began in 1641 with the Sakoku, or closing of Japan. [...]

[...] The uniqueness of Japan's diplomacy: From Meiji to today I. A paradoxical position with the world that alternated between isolationism and world integration. II. The hesitation between a perpetual ambition of leadership in Asia and the alignment with the West. Japan has always claimed for a particular place in international relations. The Japanese prefer their country to be a unique model of integration or non-integration in the world's diplomatic system rather than a “normal power” that has never been supported by any majority of Japanese diplomats. [...]

[...] Japan's expansionism was of course motivated by pragmatically reasons to get access to resources but the influence of ideology in Japan's diplomacy was also decisive. Japan even declared war to Russia, one of the greatest regional powers that were an obstacle to Japan's desire of hegemony in East Asia. The defeat of Russian fleet induced Japan's colonization of China, but above all strengthened Japan's conviction of being the country to dominate East Asia. In other words, after this time emerged the notion of “Asianism” among Japanese leaders. At the Paris Peace Conference, Japan asked for and obtained several concessions in China and Manchuria. [...]