International Relations of the Asia-Pacific Advance Access originally published online on December 23, 2008
International Relations of the Asia-Pacific 2009 9(2):245-265; doi:10.1093/irap/lcn028
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Historical beliefs and the perception of threat in Northeast Asia: colonialism, the tributary system, and China–Japan–Korea relations in the twenty-first century
1 The University of Oklahoma, USA
2 Peking University, China
3 Niigata University, Japan
4 Korea University, South Korea
Email: gries{at}ou.edu
Historical controversies continue to plague northeast Asian politics today, with Chinese and Koreans protesting Japanese history textbooks and Japanese politicians' visits to Yasukuni Shrine, and Koreans protesting Chinese claims that the ancient Kingdom of Goguryo was Chinese, not Korean. Yet, there is little empirical research exploring what, if any, impact historical beliefs have on threat perception and foreign policy preferences in northeast Asia today. On the basis of surveys of Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean university students, this paper explores the relationships among beliefs about the past, perceived threat in the present, and foreign policy preferences for the future. Results and their implications for northeast Asian security are discussed.
Received for publication April 30, 2008. Accepted for publication November 17, 2008.