Abstract
Amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the Abe government dissolved the House of Representatives in September 2017, declaring a ‘national crisis’ and pointing to Japan’s inadequate postwar defence capabilities. Since returning to power in 2012, Abe has pledged to ‘overcome Japan’s post-war system’. To achieve this, he has focused on the North Korean issue to strengthen Japan’s defence capabilities and achieve the conservatives’ long-term goal of revising the pacifist postwar constitution. This paper explains the origins of the narrative linking the ‘North Korean threat’ and ‘national crisis’ discourses and its close relationship with political discourses arguing for the transformation of the postwar Japanese state. It examines the Abe administration's diplomacy towards the Korean Peninsula, focusing on the 'abduction issue' as a major crisis for Japan.
| Translated title of the contribution | The Abe Administration's North Korea Policy: The Politics of 'National Crisis' |
|---|---|
| Original language | Other |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-25 |
| Number of pages | 25 |
| Journal | Bulletin of Sendai Shirayuri Women's College |
| Volume | 28 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2024 |