ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I analyze recent developments in discourse about nationalism and nationhood with respect to Japan. In the past few decades, much has been written about an alleged “(re)surgence of nationalism” (Kitaoka, 2001; Sasaki, 2001; Hasegawa and Togo 2008; NYT 2013) and a “drift to the right” in Japan (Kato 2014). While such developments should properly be considered as aligned with international trends (cf. Smith, 1996 for the global context of the 1990s), they are often framed in a context of Japanese “uniqueness” and “otherness.” Putting the Japanese debate in a global perspective, in this chapter I question whether there has been a significant “drift to the right” in contemporary Japan and seek to explain why some commentators continue to promote this thesis.
