Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto (External organisation)

Mason, R. (Member)

Activity: Membership › Network, Working Group or Professional Association

Description

Re-interpreting Japan’s Cold War Security Policy:

With the 80th anniversary of the start of the Allied Occupation of Japan (1945-1952), America’s failure in Afghanistan, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine heavily influencing world events, scholarly interest in Japan and the Cold War is increasing. This project re-examined the influence of the Cold War on Japan, from the perspective of security and strategy, and approaches which have been neglected in recent decades, with the rise of social and cultural studies of the era. As such, this research project sits at the cutting edge of a new ‘turn’ in Cold War studies –and will enable the researchers involved to be a lead international collaborative research relating to this shift in Cold War and International Relations scholarship. As an outcome of the project, a book titled New-Perspectives-on-Peacetime-Anglo-Japanese-Military-Relations-Old-Friends-New-Partners was published in May 2025. A number of other outcomes including conference papers, journal articles and conference presentations were also produced, and a second edited volume is in production. Also, two major international conferences were held, which were attended by academics from around the world. The conferences, which were both filmed, have laid the foundation for a persistent international network within Cold War Japan-connected research.

Period	2023 → 2025
Held at	Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan
Degree of Recognition	International

Keywords

Cold War
Japanese Empire
Japanese History
Japanese Politics

Documents & Links

With the 80th anniversary of the start of the Allied Occupation of Japan (1945-1952), America’s failure in Afghanistan, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine heavily influencing world events, scholarly interest in Japan and the Cold War is increasing. This project re-examined the influence of the Cold War on Japan, from the perspective of security and strategy, and approaches which have been neglected in recent decades, with the rise of social and cultural studies of the era. As such, this research project sits at the cutting edge of a new ‘turn’ in Cold War studies –and will enable the researchers involved to be a lead international collaborative research relating to this shift in Cold War and International Relations scholarship. As an outcome of the project, a book titled New-Perspectives-on-Peacetime-Anglo-Japanese-Military-Relations-Old-Friends-New-Partners was published in May 2025. A number of other outcomes including conference papers, journal articles and conference presentations were also produced, and a second edited volume is in production. Also, two major international conferences were held, which were attended by academics from around the world. The conferences, which were both filmed, have laid the foundation for a persistent international network within Cold War Japan-connected research.