Rethinking Sino-Japanese Alienation: History Problems and Historical Opportunities

Extract

In Rethinking Sino-Japanese Alienation, Barry Buzan and Evelyn Goh explore the role of history in shaping great power dynamics between Japan and China. The authors deliberately take an outsider’s perspective to apply the two concepts of history problems and Great Power Bargain (GPB) to the analysis of the basis and prospects of Sino-Japanese relations and their implications for the regional order in Northeast Asia (NEA). They argue that the history problem between Japan and China cannot be solved in the rather narrow terms in which it is defined by Japan and China themselves. Instead, it should be (re-)evaluated and (re-)framed in a broader historical perspective that also acknowledges the larger global historical context. Therefore, Buzan and Goh define the concept of the history issue rather broadly as ‘the cultivation of negative historical memories, or the denial or avoidance of historical responsibilities’ without solely focusing on specific issues related to the wartime past and Japanese imperialism in the 1930s and 1940s (4). Based on this broader perspective on the shared history of Japan and China, the authors offer four scenarios that show the future prospects if things stay as they currently are, as well as the opportunities for interpreting their shared history in a different way.