Historical Development of International Relations Discipline in Japan from Meiji to Present Cover Image

Meiji’den Günümüze Japonya’da Uluslararası İlişkiler Disiplininin Tarihsel Gelişimi
Historical Development of International Relations Discipline in Japan from Meiji to Present

Author(s): Mürsel Doğrul, Murat Çemrek
Subject(s): History, Political history, International relations/trade
Published by: Gazi Akademik Bakış
Keywords: IR Discipline; Japan; Meiji Period; Staatslehre; Nihonjinron; Regional Studies;

Summary/Abstract: The studies considered to be the origins of the Internationals Relations (IR) discipline in Japan date back before the Meiji Period. The Japanese victory over Russia in 1905 extended the IR’s scope to include Japan, as in many other topics. Yet, the discipline in Japan, under the influence of the German staatslehre tradition (German general theory of the state) for a long time, declared as the scapegoat of defeat in the Pacific War was dulled until the 1970s. Nihonjinron tradition (日本人論 - focusing on the Japanese national and cultural identity) became prominent with its broader discussion on comprehensive security, human security, and pacifism. This study, handling the evolution of the IR discipline from the beginning of the Meiji period through periodization, presents extra importance in terms of the discipline’s transformation in the post-1973 period. In the end, the development of the discipline, the alternation of its concepts, and gain of its present meanings are analyzed with reference to the numerical increase in IR and field studies.

  • Issue Year: 16/2023
  • Issue No: 32
  • Page Range: 209-229
  • Page Count: 21
  • Language: Turkish