Masculinity & Japan's Foreign Relations

Transformations in both Japan¿s domestic culture and its foreign relations in the last two decades have led to, among other outcomes, a shift to a more militarized defense policy. Yumiko Mikanagi explores an intriguing aspect of this shift: changes in what is considered masculine in contemporary Japanese society. Tracing the alternations between dominant ¿warrior¿ and ¿literati¿ conceptions of masculinity from the nineteenth century to the present, Mikanagi reveals parallels in Japan¿s foreign policy and offers new insights into the country¿s recent defense policy decisions.