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International Relations of the Asia-Pacific Advance Access published online on March 2, 2006
International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, doi:10.1093/irap/lci139
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International Relations of the Asia Pacific Vol. 00 © Oxford University Press and the Japan Association of International Relations 2006, all rights reserved

Article

Why does Japan downplay human rights in Southeast Asia?1

Hiro Katsumata 1 *

1 Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, Nanyang Technological University, South Spine S4, Level B4, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Hiro Katsumata, E-mail: ishkatsumata{at}ntu.edu.sg


  Abstract

Japan makes little effort to promote human rights in Southeast Asia, although it sees itself as an advanced industrialized democracy. In comparison with the United States and the European Union (EU), Tokyo's approach is less intrusive and coercive, and more tolerant and accommodative. What can be described as the economic-interest explanation holds that Japan takes a non-intrusive approach in order to maintain favorable relations with the Southeast Asian countries, so as to maximize its interests in the areas of trade and investment, and official development assistance (ODA). The present study finds that this line of argument is insufficient, and thus puts forward an alternative explanation. The identity explanation holds that Japan has been sympathetic to the special concern of the Southeast Asian countries over state sovereignty, and thus takes a non-intrusive approach. This is because while Japan sees itself as an advanced industrialized democracy it also identifies itself as an Asian country.

1 An earlier version of this paper was presented at the First Oceanic Conference on International Studies, Australian National University, Canberra, 14-16 July 2004.
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