The Concept Of Nationalism In Japan

Nationalism in Japan
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Nationalism in Japan
Introduction
Japanese nationalism has been of critical essence in influencing the country’s ties and interactions with other sovereign economies. Key historical events such as World War I and World War II played a significant role in dictating the current state of nationalism in this economy. For instance, Gries, Steiger, and Wang (2016) reveal that during World War I, Japan made the choice of distancing its operations from the proceedings of the battle and made the decision of undertaking the agenda of foreseeing the expansion of its economy. According to Hagström and Gustafsson (2015), Japan undertook active operations in its trading activities that strengthened its position in other Asian economies such as China and the Pacific. Wiegand and Choi (2017) explain that the issues of nationalism in Japan greatly revolved around the aspects of religiosity and cultism as revealed by the sprout and strengthening of spiritual sects and ideologies such as “Shinto” in the pre-1930 period. According to Nagy (2014), Shinto was a cult that dominated Japan before and after World War II that adored the emperor and accorded him the position of a divine being. However, the post-1930 period saw massive shifts in the issue of Japanese nationalism, particularly after the assassination of Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi. A critical analysis of the Japanese nationalism from a historical perspective reveals that its aims were twofold: fostering the construction of assertive national identity on a global scale and therefore linked to the economy’s foreign policy. Moreover, fostering the proper management of modernity through social, economic and political developments that are required to propel the country towards adapting to the prevailing international contexts. The current study seeks to undertake a critical analysis of the concept of nationalism by reviewing how the issue has undergone evolutions in the Japanese context in the periods between 1912 to 1945 and 1949 to 2018.
Nationalism: A Definition
Hagström and Gustafsson (2015) describe nationalism as one of the most sophisticated ideologies whose existence is stirred by the historical as well as the extraordinary social dimensions of a given economy. Multiple points of view concerning the issue of nationalism exist. For instance, Gries, Steiger and Wang (2016) reveal that proper definition of nationalism must involve one’s ability to be identified with a distinct “we group” to which he/ she accords supreme loyalty by embracing a state of consciousness. On the other hand, Wiegand and Choi (2017) explain that nationalism is a combination of the issues of utmost awareness of one’s nationality and patriotism. Therefore, nationalism can be analytically considered as a product of the common language and historical traditions that are shared by members of a given community.
The definition of nationalism tends to vary with variations in the economic, social and political contexts of a given society or country. Putting into consideration the societal and historical perspectives of Japan, the ideology of nationalism can be described as the state of mind sh...