[TEMPLE ICAS] Is Japan immune from populism?

Robert Dujarric Announcement
Location
Japan
Subject Fields
Japanese History / Studies, Nationalism History / Studies, Political History / Studies, Political Science, Social History / Studies

Date: Tuesday, Oct 3, 2017
Time: 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (Doors open at 7:00 p.m.)
Venue: Temple University Japan Campus, Azabu Hall 1F Parliament
(access: http://www.tuj.ac.jp/maps/tokyo.html)
Speaker: Gregory W. Noble, Professor, Institute of Social Science, The University of Tokyo
Moderator: Robert Dujarric,  Director of ICAS
Admission: Free. Open to the public.
Language: English
RSVP: icas@tuj.temple.edu
* If you RSVP you are automatically registered.  If possible, we ask you to RSVP but we always welcome participants even you do not RSVP.
 
OVERVIEW:

Donald Trump, with his contempt for “political correctness” and determination to limit if not ban Muslim immigrants to the United States, reject the TPP and pull out of the Paris Accord; the United Kingdom’s “Brexit” from the European Union; Marine Le Pen’s vigorous presidential campaign against immigration in France; Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, Fidesz in Hungary and Duterte in the Philippines—populist parties and leaders have emerged around the world, and many have captured national governments. These movements typically reject existing structures, elites, procedures and norms, look askance at international cooperation, valorize strong leadership, and in some cases even violate laws and resort to violence.

Japan, in contrast, appears to be an island of serene—or stolid—stability amidst all this turmoil, even though Japan faces many domestic and international challenges, including a declining population and stagnant economy, the rise of China, and the threat of nuclear missiles from North Korea. This presentation reviews the rise of populism elsewhere, gives a brief definition of its component elements and hypothesized causes, and explores reasons why populism has failed to gain much traction in Japan, focusing particularly on high levels of social and economic integration and stability, and the sluggish pace of social change, including the tiny intake of refugees and limited openness to migration. Japan has not experienced a populist backlash against social change, economic vulnerability, or influxes of foreigners because there has not been much to react against.


SPEAKER:

Gregory W. Noble is a professor of politics and public administration in the Institute of Social Science at the University of Tokyo. Among his publications are Collective Action in East Asia: How Ruling Parties Shape Industrial Policy; The Asian Financial Crisis and the Structure of Global Finance (co-edited with John Ravenhill), “Abenomics in the 2014 Election: Showing the money (supply) and little else,” “Government-business relations in democratizing Asia,” “The decline of particularism in Japanese politics,” “The Chinese Auto Industry as Challenge, Opportunity and Partner.”

 

Contact Information
Robert Dujarric, Director
Kyle Cleveland, Associate Director
Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies
Temple University, Japan Campus
Contact Email
icas@tuj.temple.edu