Publication: Japan's tool for constitutional revision : Nationalism and the Senkaku/ Diaoyu islands dispute
Abstract
Senkaku/ Diaoyu Adaları, etraflarındaki zengin doğal gaz ve petrol kaynaklarının bulunmasından bu yana Japonya ve Çin arasında bir tartışma sebebi olmuştur. İki ülke de adalar üzerinde egemenliklerini ilan etse de adaların kontrolü şu an Japonya’nın elindedir. Bu yüzden Çin, Japonya’yı bir işgal gücü olarak görmekte ve adaların etrafındaki askeri etkinliğini artırmaktadır. Japonya’daki Liberal Demokrat Parti (LDP) bu ada sorununu Çin tehdidi üzerinden bir araç olarak kullanmaktadır. Japon halkı arasında gittikçe artmakta olan milliyetçilik duyguları bu sürece destek olmaktadır. LDP ada sorunu üzerinden anayasayı değiştirmeyi ve normal bir ordu kurmayı meşrulaştırmayı hedeflemektedir. Bu tez Japonya’da milliyetçilik, Senkaku/ Diaoyu Adaları sorunu ve Japonya’nın anayasal değişiklik gündemi arasındaki ilişkiyi altı kriz aracılığıyla araştırır. Bu ilişkinin ayrıntılarını ortaya çıkarmak adına kamuoyu anketleri, Japon hükümeti yetkililerinin açıklamaları ve Japonya Dışişleri ve Savunma Bakanlıklarının internet siteleri incelenmiştir. İnceleme sonucunda, her kriz sonrası Japon halkının Çin karşıtı duyguları ve Japonya Öz Savunma Kuvvetleri’ne karşı olumlu hisleri arasında doğru orantı oluştuğu görülmüştür. Japon hükümet yetkililerinin açıklamaları da bu ters orantıyı oluşturmakta ve desteklemektedir.
The Senkaku/ Diaoyu Islands has been an issue between Japan and China since the discovery of rich natural gas and oil reserves under and around the islands. Both countries claim sovereignty over the islands, but currently, Japan has control over them. Hence, the Chinese regime sees Japan as an occupying force over the islands, and it has been increasing its military activities around the islands. The Liberal Democrat Party of Japan uses the dispute as a tool through the Chinese threat. The rising nationalistic feelings among the Japanese people help this process. Through the Chinese threat, the LDP aims to legitimize revising the constitution and forming a “normal” military. This thesis investigates the relationship between nationalism in Japan, the Senkaku/ Diaoyu Islands dispute, and Japan’s constitutional revision agenda through an examination of six crises surrounding the islands. Public opinion polls, the statements of Japanese government officials, and the websites of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japanese Ministry of Defense were analyzed to reveal the details of this relationship. The analysis revealed that right after the crises, an inverse relationship occurred between anti-Chinese sentiments among Japanese people and affinity towards the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. And the statements from the Japanese government officials created and reinforced this inverse relationship.
The Senkaku/ Diaoyu Islands has been an issue between Japan and China since the discovery of rich natural gas and oil reserves under and around the islands. Both countries claim sovereignty over the islands, but currently, Japan has control over them. Hence, the Chinese regime sees Japan as an occupying force over the islands, and it has been increasing its military activities around the islands. The Liberal Democrat Party of Japan uses the dispute as a tool through the Chinese threat. The rising nationalistic feelings among the Japanese people help this process. Through the Chinese threat, the LDP aims to legitimize revising the constitution and forming a “normal” military. This thesis investigates the relationship between nationalism in Japan, the Senkaku/ Diaoyu Islands dispute, and Japan’s constitutional revision agenda through an examination of six crises surrounding the islands. Public opinion polls, the statements of Japanese government officials, and the websites of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japanese Ministry of Defense were analyzed to reveal the details of this relationship. The analysis revealed that right after the crises, an inverse relationship occurred between anti-Chinese sentiments among Japanese people and affinity towards the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. And the statements from the Japanese government officials created and reinforced this inverse relationship.