ABSTRACT

Why do conservative nationalists in Japan continuously seek to revise the constitution despite the past failures, and what is the likelihood of successful revision and its impact on Japan's norm of pacifism and its use of force? The article offers an analytical framework for the issue based on national pride and national security, and argues that the ‘revisionists’ seek to create a new national identity, one that infuses a greater sense of national pride among the public and enables the exercise of collective self-defense, thereby removing Japan's postwar psychological and institutional limitations on nationalism and military activities. The LDP's 2012 draft is most explicit and ambitious in this regard, with the current revision attempt under Abe having the highest chance of success since the 1950s. Successful revision would significantly expand Japan's security activities, particularly within the framework of the US–Japan Security Alliance, and entail the end of Japan's unique postwar institutionalized pacifism, although the norm of pacifism will linger on as a constitutional principle. For a smoother return to the international military scene, the Japanese government must distance itself from historical revisionism and utilize its enhanced military role to promote regional public goods rather than merely protecting its narrow national interests.

摘要

在过去的失败中，为什么日本的保守民族主义者会继续寻求修改宪法，而成功修改宪法的可能性及其对日本和平主义准则及其使用武力的影响又如何呢？这篇文章为基于国家自豪感和国家安全的问题提供了一个分析框架，并认为“修正主义者”寻求建立一种新的民族认同，以在公众中激发更大的民族自豪感并促进集体行使自卫，从而消除了战后日本对民族主义和军事活动的心理和体制限制。在这方面，自民党的2012年草案是最明确和雄心勃勃的，自1950年代以来，安倍领导下的当前修订尝试获得了最大的成功机会。成功的修改将极大地扩大日本的安全活动，特别是在美日安全同盟的框架内，并结束日本战后独特的制度化和平主义，尽管和平主义的规范将作为宪政原则存在。为了更顺利地重返国际军事舞台，日本政府必须与历史修正主义保持距离，并利用其增强的军事作用来促进地区性公共物品，而不仅仅是保护其狭narrow的国家利益。