Nationalism and Identity in Post-Cold War Japan

Abstract

The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the 'bubble' economy fed a mood of malaise and desire for renewal in Japan. The 1990s, however, were a time of political and economic stagnation, not renewal. The crisis of national identity and purpose deepened. This paper argues that the problem is rooted in an unresolved split between the aspiration to clarify a national identity and a national path, and the deepening structural subordination to the United States. Late century Japanese nationalism has been mostly a truncated, pseudonationalism, confined to culture, which therefore finds expression in symbolic and rhetorical mode, not in substance. Recent legislation to establish the Hinomaru and Kimigayo as national flag and anthem, and the national campaigns to promote a 'pure', 'proud', and 'correct' history, lead towards a reconstruction and reaffirmation of the country's imperial and foundation myths, complicating Japan's relations with its Asian neighbours, while at a structural level the 'guidelines' legislation commits it to a much higher level of military integration and subordination to the United States than during the Cold War. Japan's 'dependent nationalism' is likely to further complicate Japan's relations with the United States and Asia.

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