Identity, policy ideas, and Asian diplomacy: Japan's response to the rise of China

This article examines Japan's diplomatic efforts to retain regional influences in evolving regional environments represented by the Chinese ascendancy. It regards identity as a key variable that constitutes the base for Japan's policy ideas, and examines the formation, application and limitations of specific policy ideas that derived from Japan's identity in the political and economic domains. The main argument of this article is three-fold. First, the Japanese government formulated specific policy ideas - value-oriented diplomacy and Japan-tailored standards - on the basis of identities as a democratic nation and a mature market economy. Second, the Japanese government incorporated such policy ideas into diplomatic strategies and sought to realize them mainly through the creation of cooperative institutions. Third, domestic political instability and the limited validity of policy ideas constitute serious constraints on arresting further decline in Japan's influence in Asia.