This thesis looks at the role of Japan during the negotiations of a large-scale free trade agreement in the Asia-Pacific region, namely the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)....Show moreThis thesis looks at the role of Japan during the negotiations of a large-scale free trade agreement in the Asia-Pacific region, namely the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Previously, academic discourse such as the pivotal state theory by Solís and Katada has focused on role of Japan during mega-FTAs. However, most of this research has been focused on Japan during CPTPP negotiations. This thesis looks at Japan’s role within RCEP, as it is the first mega-FTA with China. How does Japan’s influence compare to China during RCEP negotiations? By way of methodological triangulation, this thesis will measure the influence of Japan. While there are limitations, Japan was able to influence some regulations, especially regarding tariff reduction, intellectual property and e-commerce. That being said, while Japan hoped to include India within RCEP, India withdrew in the last stage of negotiations. This is because that Japan’s position within negotiations was hampered among others by its interventionist agricultural lobby. As Japan’s influence within RCEP was limited, it remains an unlikely pivotal state while China’s influence grows. With its analysis, this thesis will contribute to a broader academic discourse on the pivotal state theory, as well as the developments of mega-FTA negotiations in general.Show less
This thesis focuses on the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido Japan, and how they were represented in visual sources from the early modern period. The analysis features twelve prints and...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido Japan, and how they were represented in visual sources from the early modern period. The analysis features twelve prints and scrolls that show the Ainu as inferior or 'other' to their Japanese neighbors. Furthermore, the sources involve the concepts of racial stereotyping and power conflicts.Show less
Een kort samenvattend overzicht van de gebeurtenissen rondom de christenvervolging op Japan in de 17e eeuw. Hierbij is er gekeken naar de aanleidingen die er voor hebben gezorgd dat de Portugezen...Show moreEen kort samenvattend overzicht van de gebeurtenissen rondom de christenvervolging op Japan in de 17e eeuw. Hierbij is er gekeken naar de aanleidingen die er voor hebben gezorgd dat de Portugezen niet meer welkom waren op Japan wegens de geloofsverspreiding en hoe het de Nederlanders gelukt is om deze handelspositie met Japan van de Portugezen over te nemen met betrekking tot religieuze verschillen.Show less
When asking: what do humans need to survive? The word ‘security’ will be unmistakably an important answer to that question. When asking: what do states need to survive? The same word is, again, an...Show moreWhen asking: what do humans need to survive? The word ‘security’ will be unmistakably an important answer to that question. When asking: what do states need to survive? The same word is, again, an inherent concept that is interwoven with its survival. But what is security? For humans the answer seems obvious: having a steady source of food and water and not being in physical danger. Yet in recent times even this has been challenged and concepts such as ‘identity’ and ‘freedom of fear’ are debated to be also important in the concept of ‘security’. This already is a complex debate, but when it comes to states, the answer is yet even more complex. Because a state, unlike a human, is not a physical object, but as Anderson famously argued, is an ‘imagined community’ (Anderson, 1983). Then what does security mean for a state? This study aims to contribute to this understanding by deconstructing and critically examining ‘national security’ in a policy case study: Taiwan in Japanese foreign (security) policy documents.Show less
The thesis discusses the hybridity of Japanese sartorial culture with a focus on the works of Issey Miyake. It explores the boundaries between culture, body and sartorial design. Moreover, how do...Show moreThe thesis discusses the hybridity of Japanese sartorial culture with a focus on the works of Issey Miyake. It explores the boundaries between culture, body and sartorial design. Moreover, how do the designs of Issey Miyake express his Japanese identity while also crossing borders between East and West?Show less
"How can the onryō tradition help us interpret the contemporary phenomenon of cutesified onryō parodies?" Through analyzing the emergence and appeasement of three distinct historical types of onryō...Show more"How can the onryō tradition help us interpret the contemporary phenomenon of cutesified onryō parodies?" Through analyzing the emergence and appeasement of three distinct historical types of onryō, the context necessary for understanding the place of the 'cutesified onryō' will take shape. Next, some examples of this new onryō will be discussed to see what the recurring themes are. And lastly, a more in-depth case study of a manga centered around a cutesified onryō will be carried out. It will be argued that cutesification functions not only as a form of appeasement, but also as 'domestication'. The onryō’s history of empowerment and role-breaking is subverted as they are forced back into gendered societal roles.Show less
This thesis provides an analysis of three marginal historical movements from the inter-war period in the 20th century; German neocolonialism, Japanese Pan-Asianism and Pan-Africanism. All three...Show moreThis thesis provides an analysis of three marginal historical movements from the inter-war period in the 20th century; German neocolonialism, Japanese Pan-Asianism and Pan-Africanism. All three movements represent trends that present alternative views of the dominant ideologies of the century which they were ultimately suppressed by with the onset of the Second World War. Based on what documentation they left behind however, a model can be constructed that attempts to explain how these movements could have survived or otherwise have seen a resurgence in the absence of global liberalism and communism. Alternative histories found in video games, such as the popular Hearts of Iron IV expansion made by its (non-academic) community The New Order: Last Days of Europe provide an opportunity to put this model into practice, but the shortcomings in its existing narrative regarding Africa must first be addressed.Show less
This thesis argues that during the Abe and Suga administrations, Japan has been successful at pushing some of its key security objectives into the agendas of strategically important Southeast Asian...Show moreThis thesis argues that during the Abe and Suga administrations, Japan has been successful at pushing some of its key security objectives into the agendas of strategically important Southeast Asian states through the process of tactical hedging. Tactical hedging has allowed the Abe and Suga administrations to be flexible with its policy approach to the rise of China, allowing Japan to be firm on security issues in Southeast Asia when needed, while allowing room for friendly economic competition. This flexibility made security cooperation with Japan more viable for Southeast Asian states, as none of the countries wish to pursue a hard-line China containment policy. The Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision, which has seen notable alterations by the Abe and Suga administration to address the needs of their Southeast Asian partners, and Japan refraining from openly criticizing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) are examples of Japan taking the concerns of its Southeast Asian partners into account. While still at an early stage, the results of Japan’s tactical hedging can be seen within Japan’s improved security relations with Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. These three countries, which belong to the largest economies of ASEAN, and are faced with China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, will therefore be used to support the importance of tactical hedging for security cooperation in East Asia.Show less
