Pattern of Japan's international relations: historical development

1. Week 2 Seminar
Dr. Aimee Richmond
a.richmond@sheffield.ac.uk
Pattern of Japan’s International
Relations: Historical Development

2. Last week’s ‘Food for thought’ Question…
• Q4: Why have the metaphors and perceptions
of Japan’s role in the world changed? Do you
recognise any of these characterisations of
Japan’s international activity? Why do Japan’s
international relations appear paradoxical,
‘normal’, ‘aberrant’ or ‘abnormal’?

3. Key concepts:
• Bilateral relations
• Trilateral relations
• Multilateral relations
• Proactive
• Reactive

4. This week’s seminar questions:
Q1. How have different regional and global orders impacted on Japan’s
international relations in different periods? Have policy-makers been
constraint by these orders? If so, why? If not, why not?
Q2. What is the dominant pattern of Japan’s international relations
from the late nineteenth century onwards? What problems have been
faced by Japan as a ‘late comer’ and how and why has it sought to
overcome them?
Q3. What examples can you give of Japan’s proactive foreign policy?
What about reactive policy? What accounts for the difference? (in
each situation?)
Q4. Why has Japan developed the specific policies it has pursued?
Have they been successful? If so, why? If not, why not?

5. Q1. How have different regional and global orders impacted on Japan’s international
relations in different periods? Have policy-makers been constraint by these orders? If
so, why? If not, why not?
Q2. What is the dominant pattern of Japan’s international relations from the late
nineteenth century onwards? What problems have been faced by Japan as a ‘late
comer’ and how and why has it sought to overcome them?
1. Overviews:
- Regional and global orders
- Japan as a late comer
2. Discuss Q1/Q2 in groups and feedback

6. Regional and Global Orders
Chinese World Order
- Lasted until mid 19th century
- Not actually global, but regional
- China, Korean Peninsula and other parts of Asia
- Allowed for a regional system
- Idea of the Chinese empire as the centre of the world
- Economics: enhanced trade in raw materials, manufactured goods,
medicinal herbs and works of art
- Politics: Other East Asian countries had to pledge political allegiance
at the Imperial court
- Security: Other East Asian countries had to perform military service
in overseas expeditions
- Japan, as an island country, could maintain indifference at times
- However, it was drawn to the economic, political and security
benefits of associating with China
- At times Japan sought to challenge the Chinese order (e.g. by
defiant withdrawal and isolation)

7. Regional and Global Orders
Imperial World Order
- Acquisition of East Asian colonies led to the fracture of
the Chinese and East Asian world and regional orders
- Arrival of Western technology and military in the mid
19th century brough imposition of hierarchy
- Initially Japan tried to resist, but realised that needed
to modernize country along Western lines
- By the end of the 19th century, Japan had undergone
rapid industrialisation and built up strong naval and
land forces
- Victory in Sino-Japanese War (1894-5)
- Signing of Anglo-Japanese alliance in 1902
- Victory in Russo-Japanese War (1904-5)

8. Regional and Global Orders
Imperial World Order
- Even after collapse of the Chinese World Order, Japan
continued to form a part of an East Asian regional
order geographically, racially and culturally
- Was still discriminated against (e.g. by League of
National)
- As a result, Japanese policy makers viewed
international institutions and other major
industrialised powers as biased against them
- The early-starters were keeping Japan from expansion
- Japan signed Tripartite Pact in September 1940, allying
with Germany and Italy
- Constructed a new regional order centered on itself
(conquest of colonial possessions in SE Asia), this was
undone by defeat in the Pacific War

9. Regional and Global Orders
Cold War Order
- Characterised by confrontation between the US and the
USSR, and their respective economic, political and security
alliance systems
- Japan was now once again a minor power
- Aligned with the US (1951 peace treaty)
- The basic patter of Japan’s international relations in the
immediate post-war years would be to concentrate upon
the task of national rebuilding whilst seeking economic,
political and security guarantees from the US (Yoshida
Doctrine)
- Reliance upon the US export market
- Relative economic isolation from communist economies of
East Asia
- Firm Japanese resistance to direct involvement in the US’s
wars in Korea and Vietnam

10. Regional and Global Orders
Post- Cold War Period
- Is there are newly emerging order?
- Japan continues to act as a supporter of the US
- At the same time, the US often enables Japanese
policy makers to forge ahead with new policies in
response to changes in the structure of the
international system
- Japan has exploited the freedom afforded by the
end of the Cold War order to open up new
multilateral relations with Europe and East Asia,
and to adopt a more pronounced role in global
institutions
- Japanese TNCs are playing an increased role in
the regionalisation of East Asian economics

11. Q1. How have different regional and global orders
impacted on Japan’s international relations in
different periods? Have policy-makers been
constraint by these orders? If so, why? If not, why
not?
Q2. What is the dominant pattern of Japan’s
international relations from the late nineteenth
century onwards? What problems have been faced
by Japan as a ‘late comer’ and how and why has it
sought to overcome them?

12. Some examples of dominant historical patterns
of Japan’s international relations…
- Withdraw into isolation
- Sought global hegemony
- Displayed a pattern of international behaviour
seemingly designed to achieve integration of
and dominance over the East Asia region
- Gravitation towards support for the major
power at the time

13. Some problems that Japan has faced as a ‘late
comer’…
- Unequal treaties imposed on Japan by Western powers
- Not treated equally: participation on the Allied side in
World War I (1914-18), but received unfavourable
treatment at the Paris Peace Conference (1919)
- Rejection of Japanese proposal for the insertion in the
League of Nations (formed 1919 at the PPC) of a clause on
the racial equality of nations. Japan withdrew from the
League in 1934 over the Manchurian incident.
- Membership in Western camp during the bipolar Cold War
meant limited relations with communist states
- Post-Cold War Japan is constraint by a desire to maintain
close relationship with US in the war on terror.
- Ultimate bending under US pressure not to pursue oil
development in Iran

14. • Q3. What examples can you give of Japan’s
proactive foreign policy? What about reactive
policy? What accounts for the difference? (in each
situation?)
Some examples to consider:
- Aligning with China
- Aligning with the UK
- Aligning with Germany and Italy
- Aligning with the US
- Signing the 1951 peace treaty
- 1960 treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security
- Anti-terrorism
- Human Security
- FDI/ODA
- Japanese trade investment in East Asia
- ‘Chequebook diplomacy’
- Antimilitarism
- Joining UN/G7/G8/G20/ASEAN etc

15. • Q4. Why has Japan developed the specific
policies it has pursued? Have they been
successful? If so, why? If not, why not?
For next week come prepared with (at least!)
one example of a policy in relation to the above
question