Nationalism in China and Japan and Implications for Bilateral Relations
Nationalism appears to be an important part of the growing frictions between China and Japan.
In Japan, the return to power of Shinzo Abe as prime minister, and the historic breakthrough of an extreme right-wing party onto the political scene reinforce the view that there has been a clear shift to the right. Public opinion is today also more realistic about direct security threats to Japan.
However, this rise in neo-nationalism, which contains a clear anti-Chinese strain, should not be caricatured as aggressive militarism. Furthermore, it is strongly contained by democratic safeguards.
In China, the new leadership headed by Xi Jinping has promoted patriotic and nationalist ideas even more strongly than its predecessors, while still concentrating on the traditional aims of economic development and stability. Under these circumstances, the exploitation of anti-Japanese nationalism by the Party should not be overestimated: it is tolerated to a certain degree, but controlled and even repressed as soon as it risks getting out of hand.
Nationalism is thus one aspect, among others, of Chinese and Japanese foreign policy. Other key factors need to be taken into account, which may either moderate or exacerbate it. Measures controlling nationalism are in place, though they have shown themselves to be moderately effective in the face of the radicalization and sharpened sensitivity of public opinion. The acceleration of phases of nationalism along with provocations is coalescing with increasingly antagonistic views so as to reinforce security dilemmas. In fact, tensions today appear to be so strong that they have reached a point of no return. This makes it impossible to restore the status quo ante or to establish some form of reconciliation on new grounds.
Alice Ekman is a research fellow at the Center of Asian Studies (Ifri), and a China specialist. She is also teaching at Sciences Po Paris.
Céline Pajon is a research fellow at the Center of Asian Studies (Ifri), and a Japan specialist.
Download the full analysis
This page contains only a summary of our work. If you would like to have access to all the information from our research on the subject, you can download the full version in PDF format.
Nationalism in China and Japan and Implications for Bilateral Relations
Author(s)
Alice EKMAN
Former Research Fellow, Head of China research, Center for Asian Studies, Ifri
Céline PAJON
Research Fellow, Head of Japan and Indo-Pacific Research, Center for Asian Studies, Ifri
Related centers and programs
Discover our other research centers and programs
Center for Asian Studies
Asia is a nerve center for multiple global economic, political and security challenges. The Center for Asian Studies provides documented expertise and a platform for discussion on Asian issues to accompany decision makers and explain and contextualize developments in the region for the sake of a larger public dialogue.
The Center's research is organized along two major axes: relations between Asia's major powers and the rest of the world; and internal economic and social dynamics of Asian countries. The Center's research focuses primarily on China, Japan, India, Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific, but also covers Southeast Asia, the Korean peninsula and the Pacific Islands.
The Centre for Asian Studies maintains close institutional links with counterpart research institutes in Europe and Asia, and its researchers regularly carry out fieldwork in the region.
The Center organizes closed-door roundtables, expert-level seminars and a number of public events, including an Annual Conference, that welcome experts from Asia, Europe and the United States. The work of Center’s researchers, as well as that of their partners, is regularly published in the Center’s electronic journal Asie.Visions.
Find out more
Discover all our analyses
RAMSES 2024. A World to Be Remade
For its 42nd edition, RAMSES 2024 identifies three major challenges for 2024.
France and the Philippines should anchor their maritime partnership
With shared interests in promoting international law and sustainable development, France and the Philippines should strengthen their maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Through bilateral agreements, expanded joint exercises and the exchange of best practices, both nations can enhance maritime domain awareness, counter security threats and develop blue economy initiatives. This deeper collaboration would reinforce stability and environmental stewardship across the region.
The China-led AIIB, a geopolitical tool?
The establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in 2016, on a Chinese initiative, constituted an attempt to bridge the gap in infrastructure financing in Asia. However, it was also perceived in the West as a potential vehicle for China’s geostrategic agendas, fueling the suspicion that the institution might compete rather than align with existing multilateral development banks (MDBs) and impose its own standards.
Jammu and Kashmir in the Aftermath of August 2019
The abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), has been on the agenda of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for many decades.