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DENIAL OF HISTORY? YASUKUNI VISITS AS SIGNALING

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2020

Taisuke Fujita  and
Hiroki Kusano
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Abstract

Under what conditions would Japanese leaders visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine and why? Previous studies have focused primarily on the domestic benefits and effects of such visits, claiming that leaders employ visits to follow their own conservative ideology and gain domestic political support. Given the harsh international criticism that tends to ensue, however, political leaders should also consider the cost and international effects of such visits. This study proposes three necessary conditions for such visits: a conservative ruling party, a government enjoying high popularity, and Japan's perception of a Chinese threat. With regard to the latter, a security threat from China has allowed Japan to use these visits as a credible signal of its resolve against China. Comparative analyses of Japanese cabinets after the mid-1980s support this argument.

Keywords

history problemChina–Japan relationssignalingJapan's security policypower transition in East Asia
Type
Article
Information
Journal of East Asian Studies , Volume 20 , Issue 2 , July 2020 , pp. 291 - 316
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Copyright
Copyright © East Asia Institute 2020

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