The Structure of Territorial Conflict in Northeast Asia

This article argues that the territorial issues that are unfolding in Japan are closely related to the structure of Japanese political society, and through this, it examines the mechanisms by which the conservative political system is strengthened, and suggests that the regional conflicts in Northeast Asia, including territorial issues, can be explained by reducing them to the problems inherent in the self-centered Japanese political society. What is needed in the study of the territorial issues centered on Japan and the conflicts in Northeast Asia in general is to identify the structures that perpetuate the conflicts in the region and the influence of domestic political necessity on the foreign policy making process. The territorial issues that have been reddening in the process of dismantling and ending Japan's post-war system can be understood as a problem of Japan's political and social structure, not just a territorial issue. Therefore, it is fair to say that the territorial issues in Northeast Asia are the result of a combination of a lack of awareness of neighboring countries and the emotional anti-intellectualism and de-ideologization of Japanese political society, the driving force of which is the de-ideologization of the general public and conservatization from below, where the narrative of resistance has disappeared.