The Cold War and Japanese Diplomacy

Abstract

In the last three decades after the end of the Cold War, historical research on international relations during the Cold War period has made remarkable progress. This special issue aims to examine the impact of the Cold War on Japanese diplomacy, Japan’s involvement and roles in the Cold War, and the impact of Japanese diplomacy on the Cold War from various perspectives in the study of diplomatic and international relations history, considering recent trends in postwar Japanese diplomatic history and Cold War history research.

As the introduction, this article looks back at the development of postwar Japanese diplomatic history research in connection with that of Cold War history research. The brief overview shows that the former’s scope of research continued to expand with the improvement of access to documentary sources in Japan and abroad. As a result, empirical research on the relationship between Japanese diplomacy and the Cold War has progressed. The advancement and transformation of Cold War history research in recent years facilitated such progress in postwar Japanese diplomatic history research, which, in turn, has the potential to significantly contribute to the former’s development. However, postwar Japanese diplomatic historians in Japan have not vigorously studied the relationship between Japanese diplomacy and the Cold War.

In light of this research trend, this special issue attempts to bridge Cold War studies and postwar Japanese diplomatic history research. To this end, this article proposes a research program to study the relationship between the Cold War and Japanese diplomacy, which consists of eight patterns to connect them. They are categorized by their primary research subjects and research approach. The former includes U.S-Soviet relations, the Cold War in Asia, the Cold War in the Third World, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations, significant events and issues in postwar Japanese diplomatic history, and important events and issues in Cold War history. Pursuing such a research program would revitalize postwar Japanese diplomatic history research in Japan and make it more attractive from a global perspective.

This special issue gathers eight featured articles. Each connects the Cold War and Japanese diplomacy from its distinctive perspective and attempts to provide new insights into Japanese diplomacy during the Cold War. What emerges is a multifaceted and multilayered picture of Japanese diplomacy during the Cold War, which cannot be captured by a single image of “Cold War beneficiary” or a dichotomous picture of cooperation with and independence from the US. The featured article exemplifies how linking the Cold War with Japanese diplomacy can open up new possibilities for studying postwar Japanese diplomatic history and Cold War history.