Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to present evidence to deepen the understanding of national identities in postwar Japanese society by examining modes of international cooperation. Through interviews with former JICA staff members who worked “in the emigration sector,” one of the “fragmentary nationalisms” in postwar Japan will be analyzed. Fragmentary nationalisms, an analytical tool to examine national self-perceptions from a micro standpoint, criticize a macro perspective that explores one national identity and shows the need to explore various national identities that vary by social group. Interviewees in this study have developed their own national identities based on their experiences with “others.” In the early days of rapid economic growth, they connected with others and lived abroad by engaging in emigration administration. These experiences were unique because emigration was an opportunity to interact with others, as there were few others in Japan at that time. But as Japan became an economic giant, emigration lost its appeal, and it was carried out under the logic of international cooperation. Interviewees experienced dramatic changes in the meaning of going abroad and international cooperation in postwar Japan, which facilitated their understanding of “us” in relation to “others.” Thus, their national identities have developed based on historical understandings of internationalization in postwar Japan.
