2024 Volume 31 Pages 106-123
The military masculinities of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) are rarely discussed within Japanese scholarship on men’s studies or studies of men. Even studies of gender and the JSDF have not focused on the diversity of military masculinities, especially from the perspective of the valorization of warfare. I suggest that there are two difficulties in theorizing the military masculinities of the JSDF: firstly, Article 9 of Japan’s Constitution places restrictions on JSDF participation in combat missions. In contrast, military masculinities are a concept capturing the fact that men are urged to fight as soldiers by associating manhood with warfare. There is a gap between the idea and the situation of the JSDF, and a theory to solve this problem is needed. Secondly, since the JSDF is ‘isolated’ in post-WWII Japanese society, it seems almost impossible to analyze the military masculinities of the JSDF, considering forces present outside the organization. To resolve these two contradictions, I draw on feminist IR, military culture studies, and studies on the JSDF. Building on existing literature, I argue that JSDF’s military masculinities can be understood as ones that compete between the valorization of combat missions and the valorization of the avoidance of war. This competing picture is constructed not only by the practices of the JSDF but also by the influences of Japanese society. Also, shifts in hegemonic masculinity within the JSDF can be analyzed by focusing on changes in the security environment and the economic climate, as well as the ways of memorializing the war.
