| ID | 155309 |
| Title Proper | Japan’s aspirations for regional leadership – is the goose finally cooked? |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Black, Lindsay |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Japan’s rise has often been conceived in terms of the ‘flying geese’ model in which Japan led a flock of emerging East Asian economies as its production networks expanded and it shed outdated technologies to the followers. Though the model implied a continuing Japanese leadership role in the East Asian region, two lost decades have undermined Japan’s claim to head the flock of ‘flying geese’ and Japan is often perceived as in decline relative to China’s rapid rise. This paper challenges such accounts to argue that Japan still has significant leadership ambitions and, potentially, the means to bring them to fruition. Understanding Japan’s leadership ambitions requires conceptualizing power in terms of discursive as well as material resources. Doing so highlights how different policymakers articulate contrasting visions of how Japan should take the lead in East Asia. These visions are of Japan as (variously) a functional leader, a conveyer of universal values, a conformist to ASEAN norms, a strategic partner and a promoter of open regionalism. Whilst most analyses have focused on Japan as a declining power, it is the spatial, temporal and ethical incompatibility of these regional visions that undermines Japan’s aspirations to lead the East Asian region. |
| `In' analytical Note | Japanese Studies Vol. 37, No.2; Sep 2017: p.151-170 |
| Journal Source | Japanese Studies 2017-08 37, 2 |
| Key Words | Regional Leadership ; Japan’s Aspirations ; Goose Finally Cooked |