Established in 1956, the Japan Association of International Relations (JAIR) has come a long way in the last 63 years. In retrospect, the meticulously documented and comprehensive historical accounts of Japan’s road to the Pacific War lay at the heart of the JAIR’s research activities during its formative years. Since then, the diplomatic history of Japan’s postwar reconciliation has continued to be one of its common research agenda. In those years, however, the JAIR has expanded its coverage as well. As a result, now it covers not only diplomatic history but also three other divisions: theoretical studies, area studies, and other emerging topics in the field of international relations. It is the JAIR’s tradition to honor this diversity.
As an academic association, the JAIR is an association of interdisciplinary scholars, not an aggregation of scholars from various disciplines. In Japan, international relations, international law, and diplomatic history have never been separated into distinct departments in universities in contrast to their counterparts abroad. This is the reason why the JAIR members have been aware of the historical and normative dimensions of international relations.
In celebration of the 200th volume of Kokusai Seiji, the editorial committee for this special issue called for articles that would draw on Japan’s interdisciplinary intellectual heritage in an innovative manner to break the conventional mold of international studies.
