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Article published In: Journal of Argumentation in Context
Vol. 7:1 (2018) ► pp.18–32

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Prime Minister Abe’s challenge to the Japanese Postwar Constitution

 | Kanto Gakuin University
 | Meiji University
Published online: 7 May 2018
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https://doi.org/10.1075/jaic.16008.oku
Abstract
Japan has transformed itself from a militaristic, imperialist state into a pacifist, democratic country as well as a reliable U.S. ally. However, postwar Japan has had two responses to the lost war. On the one hand, conservatives often found it difficult to reconcile themselves with the reality of losing the last war. On the other hand, liberals found themselves at home in line with the Japanese postwar democracy based on the country’s embrace of the no war ideal. Taking into account the tension intrinsic to Japanese interpretations of the postwar Constitution, this study will explore the way in which Prime Minister Abe made confrontational strategic maneuvering in political argumentation. By doing so, it will explicate how Abe sought to identify the context in the way that one should view a reality.
Article outline
  • Argumentative contexts of Abe’s legislative proposal
  • Historical constraints and Abe’s argumentative strategy
    • The proactive pacifism
    • Geopolitical threats
    • Abe’s version of just war doctrine
  • Conclusions and consequences
  • References
References (48)
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