Second-Tier Great Power in Power Transition

2023年

概要を見る

Despiteits critical insights into the complexity and challenges of hegemonic conflict,power transition theory has three major deficiencies. First, it downplays theroles of non-hegemonic great powers in the competition between therising power and the incumbent hegemon. Second, it overlooks the impact of partialpower transition, that is, power transition taking place within a specific domainof the international system. Third, it equalizes power transition to ordertransition, maintaining that the new hegemon always promotes a new internationalorder. Thisresearch addresses these problems through a case study of Japan’s pursuitof a regional trade policy in East Asia during the first two decades of the 21st century, a period when China’s rapidly growing trade power and the US’s shrinkingshare of global trade reshaped the power balance in international trade. My researchshows that China’s rising status in international trade did not lead to itsrejection of the postwar liberal trade order. Instead, it was the incumbenthegemon, the US, that became increasingly more protectionist, and dissatisfiedwith the WTO-based multilateral trade system. Focusing on Japan’s strategicmaneuvering under this complex situation, I demonstrate that the second-tiergreat power, which is defined theoretically by its second-only-to-the-hegemoncapabilities within a specific domain of the international system, can exert acrucial impact on the power transition process through its strategic maneuversbetween the rising power and the incumbent hegemon. Ipresented the outcomes of the project first at the faculty seminar of School ofInternational Liberal Studies, Waseda University in November 2023, and then at theresearch seminar hosted by the Center for Japanese Studies, Fudan University inMarch 2024. A related paper is scheduled be read at the Annual Conference ofAmerican Political Science Association in September 2024.

East Asia and the Borderland of the Liberal International Order: A Regional History

2022年

概要を見る

The liberal international order(LIO) has been facing unprecedented challenges from both within and without inrecent years. At its geopolitical core, the Brexit and the Trump Presidency,together with the widespread of right-wing populism, raised the thorny questionof core liberal countries’ commitment to the LIO. Beyond its geopolitical reach,the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Russian invasion of Ukraine further exposedthe uncomfortable limitation of the LIO in international affairs. This research project attempts to explorethe geopolitical ‘middle ground’ between the two, which I refer to as ‘theborderland of the liberal international order’, from a historical perspective. Focusingon East Asia, it examines the region’s long-term engagement with the liberalorder from the early 20th century. My research highlights theevolving dynamics of the liberal order over the past one and a half centuries, andreveals East Asia’s uneasy interaction with the liberal order. The outcomes of theproject were presented at the APSA Annual Conference in September 2022 and theISA Annual Convention in March 2023. In addition, I have received a three-yearKaken grant (Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research) to dig deep into the casestudies developed under this project.

Rising Power and Norma Diffusion during the Ming-Qing Transition

2021年

概要を見る

     TheMing-Qing transition in the 17th century was an important page ofEast Asian regional history. Not only did the Ming Empire collapse amid therapid rise of the Manchu Qing, but regional neighbors suchthe Choson Kingdom, the Ryukyu Kingdom and the Mongol tribes all switched theirallegiance from the Ming to the Qing. It is thus a classic case of powertransition in the history of East Asian international relations. Focusing onthe role of norms in the Ming-Qing transition, this research project aims to uncoverthe regional dynamics of norm adoption and diffusion in the historical processof power transition in East Asia.     Basedon careful archive and literature research conducted at Stanford University, myresearch has uncovered several important mechanisms of norm adoption and diffusion inthe 17th century. Specifically, the Manchu Qing’s dealingwith norms (i) showed its intention to fight against the discrimination of the MingEmpire, (ii) reflected its hope to revive the historical glory of the Jurchen Jin,and (iii) revealed its goal of claiming the hegemonic status in East Asia.      Some initial findings of the project were presented at the Annual Convention ofthe International Studies Association and the Annual Meeting of the AmericanPolitical Science Association in 2021. 

International Relations of the Silk Roads: Past and Present

2021年

概要を見る

     While China’s Beltand Road Initiative (BRI) caught widespread attention after its launch in 2013,the international relations of the Silk Roads can be traced back to the2nd century BCE when the Han dynasty dispatched Zhang Qian to seek alliancewith the Yuezhi Kingdom in Central Asia against the threat of the nomadic Xingnu.The reopening of the overland Silk Roads by the Tang dynasty in the7th century CE and then the maritime Silk Roads by the Ming dynasty inthe 14th century CE also involved complex episodes of internationalcommerce and geopolitical contestation.     This researchproject examines the interactive dynamics of geopolitical contestation,international commerce and domestic politics along the historical Silk Roadsand the modern BRI. It makes extensive use of secondhand historical studies to tracethe interaction between international commerce and geopolitical competition. Theaim is to provide an in-depth analysis of the historical background of the modernBRI. My analysis shows that forging a long-term and credible relationship withthe small trading states along the Silk Roads was, and still is, a majorchallenge that China has faced.

Regionalism without East Asia: Examining the Regional Dynamics of the TPP and AIIB

2018年

概要を見る

My research seeks tounderstand how regional economic cooperation has evolved into a distinctiveform of ‘regionalism beyond East Asia’ since the mid-2000s. That is, majorregional cooperative schemes, such as the TPP, the RCEP and the AIIB, haveactively embraced countries from outside East Asia. This research project isthe initial stage of a multi-year research plan to explore the regionaldynamics of the trade-related RCEP and TPP, and the development-oriented AIIB.It has three main objectives. First, to conduct comparative case studies of themajor regional economic cooperative schemes. Second, to chart the latestdevelopment of economic regionalism in East Asia. Third, to contribute to theacademic literature on comparative regionalism and international politicaleconomy of trade and development.In 2018, I was able to conductan in-depth case study of the RCEP, and to chart the impact of China's rise oneconomic regional cooperation in East Asia. Some initial results of my researchwere presented at the Japan Association of Global Governance ResearchConference and at the International Political ScienceAssociation World Congress. Inaddition, I published a related paper in an edited volume on the China’s impacton trade competitiveness in Europe.

The Rise of State-Led Economic Regionalism in East Asia

2014年

概要を見る

Focusing on the changing dynamics of domesticand regional political economy in East Asia, this research project seeks tounderstand the domestic foundation of state-led economic regionalism after theAsian financial crisis (AFC) in 1997-98. The project has two goals: first, to conduct anin-depth analysis of the restructuring of Asian developmental state and therise of state-led economic regionalism; second, to find out the interactivedynamics between domestic regulatory reforms and regional economic cooperation.Two case studies were conducted with respectto the post-AFC domestic reforms and regional policy-making in Thailand andSouth Korea. The case studies show that post-AFC economic regionalism emerged as aregional consensus for very different reasons in the two countries. On the one hand, South Korea aimedto address the regional implications of her globalization strategy. On theother, Thailand was pursuing economic growth shielded from the immediate riskof globalization.The project makes it possible to chart thisimportant process in post-AFC East Asia. A related paper, entitled 'The EU and Economic Regionalism in EastAsia’, was presented at the GR:EEN Workshop on comparative regionalism in Brussels in October 2014.

The Rise of State-Led Economic Regionalism in East Asia（東アジアにおける国家主導の地域経済協力）

2013年

概要を見る

Economic regionalism in East Asia changed dramatically after the Asian financial crisis (AFC) in 1997-1998. The regional governments have taken key initiatives to negotiate free trade agreements (FTAs) and pursue regional financial collaboration. Meanwhile, high-profile regional institutions have been established to promote cooperation at the intergovernmental level. The state-led economic regionalism and its institutional turn marked a key departure from the early period of autonomous and uninstitutionalized economic integration in East Asia. This research project examines such an important transformation of East Asian regionalism, charting the regional process of post-AFC intergovernmental cooperation and the domestic process of developmental state restructuring. Intensive fieldwork was conducted both inside and outside Japan to collect first- and second-hand materials related to the post-AFC domestic and regional changes in Northeast and Southeast Asian countries. Some initial research outcomes were circulated in academic workshops. A related paper, entitled 'FTAs and State-led Economic Regionalism in East Asia', will be presented at the 23rd World Congress of International Political Science Association in July 2014.

地域統合における国家：東アジアとヨーロッパの比較

2009年

概要を見る

To decode the state's roles in regional integration, this research project looks into two key aspects of the state: national identity and government popularity. Concerning national identity, comparative study between Europe and East Asia has been conducted with regard to its political mobilisation and rhetorical discourses. The analysis shows that the politicisation of national identity often relies on the mobilisation of radical right-wing political parties in Europe. By contrast, the mainstream parties play a central part in its politicisation in East Asia. It also reveals that the discourse of national identity tends to be self-referring in Europe, while other-references are more important in East Asia. These analytical results were published as a research note by the Science Council of Japan. As far as government popularity is concerned, attention is paid to the perceptions of neighbouring countries in Northeast Asia. Based on AsiaBaromenter survey data, multivariate regression analysis points to three important determinants of public perceptions: national identity, overseas experiences and trust in national government. Among them, trust in national government constantly weakens favourable perceptions of neighbouring countries. These analytical results were first presented at the American Political Science Asssociation's Annual Conference, and later published in the peer-reviewed WIAS Research Bulletin.

地域大国と地域統合：中国を中心とする比較研究

2009年

概要を見る

This project examines the roles of regional powers in regional cooperation and integration. In the existing literature, leadership in regional integration is often considered as a special characteristic of regional powers. An oft-cited example is the Franco-German leadership in European integration. However, the theories of leadership points to quite different interpretations of leadership properties. Focusing on China and Japan, the project explores how these two countries have led and influenced East Asian regional cooperation after the East Asian financial crisis. Based on the functional theory of leadership, it shows that Japan has been able to provide crucial regional public goods to Southeast Asia following the financial crisis. Meanwhile, China’s active engagement has unintentionally generated a domino effect on East Asian cooperation. The analysis thus shows that the influences of regional powers on regional cooperation can be understood from a functional perspective. Different regional powers may well have different leadership impacts on regional cooperation and integration. In relation to the project, two research papers have been presented at the CHIR International Symposium in Tokyo and the PSA Annual Conference in Edinburgh.

地域統合における国家：東アジアとヨーロッパの比較

2009年

概要を見る

The state plays a very important part in regional cooperation and integration. Yet, its influences are rarely examined beyond the classic assumption of mature nation-states. This seriously impedes our understandings of the state’s role in non-European regional integration. To deal with such a problem, this project tries to recast the state in a more general theoretical framework in order to make it applicable in comparative regional integration studies. More specifically, three conceptual schemes are proposed: (i) the state as a particular institutional site where different societal groups interacts; (ii) the state as a special political process through which the state structure is being built and transformed; and (iii) the state as a distinctive set of practices which embody the meanings and values of the state. Following these conceptual schemes, the roles of the state in European and East Asian regionalisms are examined. In addition to theoretical analysis, fieldwork was conducted in relation to the state's role in East Asian regional cooperation.The outcome of the project was presented at the Political Studies Association (UK)'s Annual Conference in Edinburgh.