| ID | 138978 |
| Title Proper | Securing Japan in the ‘West |
| Other Title Information | the US-Japan alliance and identity politics in the Asian century |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Wirth , Christian |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Why has the military dimension of the US-Japan relationship remained the central point of reference for Japanese foreign relations, despite the demise of the Soviet Union? Why has Japan, deepening economic interdependence notwithstanding, remained politically distant from East Asia? Based on analysis of statements by Japanese and US political elites and academics regarding the US-Japan alliance, this article argues that the rise of China, coterminous with the rise of ‘Asia’, challenges the notion of the ‘West’ as, according to standards of industrial modernity, a superior social and political order. These moving ideational boundaries question Japan’s position as the most advanced Asian nation and member of the (Western) international society of states. Therefore, the US-Japan alliance has since the mid-1990s become increasingly important for securing Japan in the ‘West’ and the ‘West’s boundaries in East Asia. |
| `In' analytical Note | Geopolitics Vol. 20, No.2; 2015: p.287-307 |
| Journal Source | Geopolitics Vol: 20 No 2 |
| Key Words | ODA ; East Asia ; Asian Century ; US - Japan Alliance ; Rise of Asia ; Securing Japan ; US - Japan Relationship ; Japanese Foreign Relations ; Economic Interdependence – Japan ; Social and Political Order |