Japan's National Security Debate in the wake of 9/11: Same Old, Same New?

 How has Japan’s national security debate been affected by the terrorist attacks of 9/11? How has this debate evolved ever since? Drawing from research approaches of international relations, philosophy and Japanese studies, this presentation aims at evaluating current implications for Japan’s national security debate against an interdisciplinary background.

I will present the findings of a hermeneutic discourse analysis by focusing on articles which have been published in selected Japanese journals since September 2001. In order to create a thorough picture of the ongoing discourse, I refer to three journals, namely Chūō Kōron, Sekai, and Shokun, known to represent diverse political views. I argue that over the past five years four different schools of thought have evolved in this discourse; these are: Centrists, Independentists, Pragmatic Multilateralists and Pacifists. In particular, I will highlight what key values the groups hold and what views they take on issues such as “national interest” and “international society”.

Dr. Susanne Klien is a postdoctoral fellow in the Graduate School of Asia and Africa in Global Reference Systems (GSAA) at Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany.