Perhaps from around the turning of the
century, we see resurgence of nationalism
in Japan.It takes various forms ,such as
of blatant aversion to China and Korea, re-
visionism, demonstrations and so forth.
This ideological change,Okazaki Hisahiko
and Watanabe Shoichi, a great authority on
diplomatic relations and a Sophia University
professor respectively, pointed to in their
collective writing.
What made this change? Maybe it's useful to
consult Sasaki Keishi, a Kyoto University
professor on economics. His idea is that so-
called fundamentalism and American-style civ-
ilization are, despite their apparent dispar-
ity, essencially the same phenomena in that
both of them are the result of a lack of
ideology. If true, very ironic process, isn't
it? Just as air flows into a point in the state
of vacuum, so fundamentalism and American civ-
ilization flow into ideological vacuum, he
argues.
If Japan had been in the state of ideological
/moral vacuum, the current resurgence of national-
ism seems reasonable to me, with the reference to
Sasaki's framework. And this vacuum state, in
turn, might have risen from major social changes
right after the war.
So much for introduction, what I would like to say
most with respect to our theme is that youngsters,
obsessed by this kind of nationalism, often maintain
that we Japanese freed Asia from the rule by the
western, it is thanks to Japan that they ARE what
they are now. But a moment's pause to think reveals
that this kind of argument lacks the POV of the
people there. And without it, a true understanding
of each other would never be attained, I believe. Of
course, I do not deny that certain amount of
patriotism based on broad mind/perspective is very
healthy. Rather, it seems vital.
Perhaps I was rambling and wasn't very clear, I apology
in advance. Here are some books on which my opinion is
based.
『新「帝国」アメリカを解剖する』 佐伯啓思
『明治の教訓 日本の気骨―明治維新人物学』渡部昇一 岡崎久彦
