The politics of Japanese soft power and remembrance: A comparison of Taiwanese and South Korean responses to the 3.11 disaster

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Politicologie (BSc)

Ikehara, Kenji (2023)

The politics of Japanese soft power and remembrance: A comparison of Taiwanese and South Korean responses to the 3.11 disaster

Bachelor thesis | Politicologie (BSc)

The thesis investigates the potential causes behind the differing responses given by South Korea and Taiwan in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster using a qualitative thick description analysis. This work contributes to the field of soft power by conducting a case study: this field is often criticized for its lack of empirical evidence. This topic is important as it posits a causal relationship between Japanese soft power and the differing levels of responses given, showing that soft power has visible and tangible effects. The research question was as follows: what explains the differences in Taiwanese and South Korean support following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami? Based on the research it was found that many factors, namely nationalism, historical relations, and the individual country’s soft power resources as mediating factors to Japan’s soft power.

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

international relations

politics

nationalism

soft power