Identity in Japan’s International Relations: Negotiating the ‘Self’

This thesis examines how states construct their identities, with a specific focus on the construction of Japanese state identity. It grapples with the definitional anarchy of identity in International Relations Theory and aims to provide the reader with a solid understanding of how this thesis conceptualises identity. It combines William B. Swann’s theory of identity negotiation with Hagstrom and Gustafsson's three-layered approach to identity construction. The thesis hypothesises a process through which state identity emerges. One that treats the ‘Other’ as an active participant in the process.

To test the hypothesised process, the thesis uses case studies to provide a longitudinal analysis of several cases. Each case incorporates a thematic analysis of newspaper articles and a transcript of the Japanese Diet Debates. Throughout the three case studies, I analyse how Japanese identity emerges through the lens of the overseas dispatch of the Selfe Defence Forces. I will explain how the discourse and subsequent decisions fit into the process model. In each case study, I contrast my findings with other previously published works to add another layer to the model testing. It also argues that the more contemporary events are deeply rooted in the case studies I analysed and should be understood within their context.

Thus, this thesis successfully establishes the process model of identity negotiations and provides ample examples of how it can be utilized as a practical tool for analysis, not only for Japanese Scholars but also, more broadly speaking, for international experts.