Abe and the new nationalism of Japan

With Shinzo Abe as Prime Minister, Japan has got its most conservative and nationalistic government in many years, and Abe has since his inauguration in 2012 contributed to heightening the tension between countries in East Asia. The tensions between Japan and its neighbouring countries were already serious because of territorial and historical matters and different attitudes towards Japan’s future role in the region’s security, but it seems likely that relations will stay paralyzed as long as Abe is in charge.

It seems odd that an experienced politician like Abe deliberately creates such a complicated situation. But Abe wants to promote important changes in modern Japan, and in this sense, he agrees with many of his contemporaries in influential positions. But fundamentally, this new nationalism has very little to do with the militaristic past which tends to dominate the picture, and which is feared by many people in Japan and abroad. Japan’s new nationalism has its origin in the present, not in the past.

Asger Røjle Christensen is an experienced Danish journalist, writer and lecturer. He is based in Tokyo most of the time and has been following developments in Japan for 30 years. From 1989 to 1995 he was a correspondent in Tokyo for among others Politiken, and he has since then had various editor jobs at the newspaper Aktuelt, the leading Danish news agency Ritzau and Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR).  In November 2013, he returned to Tokyo as reporter and analyst for Danish radio and TV platforms as well as a broad section of other Danish news media.

The lecture is free of charge and everybody is welcome, but please sign up at arc.int@cbs.dk

Time and place

19 September, 14:00-15:30
Room K146

Copenhagen Business School
Kilen, Kilevej 14
2000 Frederiksberg

Organized by Asia Reseach Centre, INT, CBS.