Theoretical approaches to international relations in Japan

Abstract

The article examines some aspects of the evolution of Japanese theoretical approaches to international relations (IR). A brief description of intellectual currents and concepts characteristic of the IR studies in the pre-war period is given, and their development after 1945 is considered as well. Japanese theoretical approaches to international relations mainly originate from Western schools of philosophy, political science, and law, but national peculiarities are traced in them. Western theories selectively lay on Japanese soil, and while some of them were further developed in the works of Japanese scholars, others, on the contrary, did not arouse much interest. In general, we can say that, under the influence of Western thought and Japanese traditions, distinctive concepts emerged in Japan. Japanese approaches to IR have evolved simultaneously with the conceptual rethinking of the surrounding world and Japan’s place in it, as well as its national identity. A feature of Japanese approaches to IR is the emphasis on their economic and cultural aspects, as well as the promotion of concepts that could ensure the global leadership of Japan as a non-military power. One can note the interest in the applied aspects of the IR theories, which make it possible to substantiate certain foreign policy goals. In general, theoretical approaches to IR tend more towards finding answers to specific questions than to abstract constructions. This reflects the peculiarities of the Japanese mentality and the characteristic features of Japanese political culture.