Review and Assessment

EAS683 Global Governance and Japan

Lecture 10
Dr Saori Shibata
s.shibata@sheffield.ac.uk
Overview
• Assessments
• Module level assessments
• multiple choice questions
• open-ended questions
• Program level assessments (3000-word essay)

• Key points for the open-ended questions

• Key points for the program level assessment (PLA) essay topics
 Assessments
1. Multiple choice questions (1 point each and 40 points in total)
• You will answer 40 questions within 1 hour
• The questions will be made available on the Blackboard between 8:00-12:00 on 27
January 2022. You can answer questions anytime during this time frame, you have to
start at 11:00 at latest to finish by 12:00. Questions will be formed from the question
bank (45 questions).
• You can practice these questions on Socrative (room name: 0F3F42640)
2. 4 open questions (15 points each and 60 points in total)
• See “Assignment Submission” on Blackboard
• You can submit a few times until the deadline of 9:00 (UK time), on 27 January 2022.
3. Program level assessment: 3,000-word essay
• submission by 12 January 2022
 Module level
open-ended ques.ons
Module-level open question 1
Q1. Outline and explain the Abe Doctrine. How has it influenced Japan’s
international relations?
1. Define the Abe Doctrine
2. Explain the key points of this doctrine (value-oriented diplomacy, historical
revisionism, asserting Japan’s credential as a great power, revision of Constitution)
3. You can pick one or a few key characteristics and use them to explain how they have
impacted on Japan’s international relations.
• historical revisionism increased tension between Japan and China and
discredited Japan’s position?
•Abe’s value-oriented diplomacy has been praised by Japan’s allies and made
Japan recognized as an important contributor to the liberal order?
•The Abe doctrine contributes to the increased role of Japan as a regional leader?
Q2. To what extent, and why, has Japan contributed to the liberal internaVonal
order in the post-war era?
1. Explain the liberal interna[onal order (3 pillars: the security order, the
economic order, and the human rights order, contested)
2. You may want to choose the areas of Japan’s contribu[ons to the liberal
interna[onal order.
• Maybe using one of the three pillars (security, economic, human rights)
• And explain how Japan has contributed to the order
• If it is economic order, some of you may use the case of financial and monetary governance
or trade liberalisaBon.
• If you choose the area of the security order, you may want to menBon Japan’s changed role
from a passive to a more proacBve role in regional security?
• Or some of you may want to examine Japan’s role in the liberal order by examining Japan-
China relaBons (due to the increased influence of China’s diplomacy and economy, Japan
became …… and its contribuBon to the liberal internaBonal order has been determined by
China’s policies, etc.)
Q3. Outline and explain the challenges Japan has faced in seeking to promote
regional monetary and financial cooperation.
1. Outline first what the regional monetary/financial cooperation was before the
Asian financial crisis. And explain challenges Japan faced in the old system
• US (dollars) challenge?
• Japan’s limited influence on the IMF?
• How about the developmental state model?
2. Explain how Japan’s role has been changing after the Asian Financial Crisis.
• Japan-led regional currency initiatives has not led to regional institutional building nor new
standard setting achievement
• Doubts on the developmental state model?
• China’s increased role? (internationalisation of RMB, AIIB)
• Under-represented East Asia?
• Challenges to regional institutions such as the Chiang Mai Initiative and the Asian Bond
Market Initiative and the internationalisation of the yen?
• A lack of private-sector cooperation?
Q４. What are the strengths and weaknesses Japan has faced in seeking to
address climate change?
1. Outline Japan’s historical general approach/stance to international environmental
governance and its characteristics
• Japan’s passive/inactive approach in the 1980s
• Japan’s proactive leadership on the Kyoto Protocol
2. Strengths
• Disaster-resilience as an avenue for Japan’s external engagement
• Smart communities (local governments’ initiatives)
• Regional leadership?
3. Weaknesses
• 5th largest energy economy (high emissions in the industrial sectors) and its heavy dependence on coal
• Frequent natural disaster and vulnerability of nuclear power plants
• Low ambitions
• Limits in technologies
• Low carbon pricing
• Unwillingness to lead environmental governance (COP26)
• A lack of private sector’s cooperation (keen on coal/nuclear power)
• Low economic growth and dire public finance limit the scope for ambitious environmental policy.
 Program-level
Essay Ques.ons
Q1 Rivalry and compe22on characterise contemporary Japan-China rela2ons. Discuss
1. Introduc.on (200 words)
2. Contrast different views in the literature review and indicate what your main
claim/argument/view is (700-800 words)
• Group A: Compe,,ve/rival rela,ons
• Group B: Rivalry is overstated
• Group C: Japan’s pragma,c approach to China
3. Show evidence/reason/cases to back up your claim (1,000 -1,100 words, can be divided
into a few sec.ons).
• A: Abe’s neo-autonomist stance against China, the Abe Doctrine’s historical revisionism, Japan’s proac,ve role in
TPP/CPTPP, Japan’s engagement with the US, Australia and India (Quad), FOIP, etc.
• B: Japan-China coopera,on in the regional order (RCEP, regional coopera,on in trade liberalisa,on, Sino-Japanese
partnership in infrastructure)
• C: Map Japan’s changed stance to China under the Abe. Domes,c poli,co-economic influence on Japan’s foreign policies
vis-à-vis China
4. Conclusion (2-300 words) References (600-800 words)
5. References (600-800 words)
Q2 To what extent has Japan contributed to the current internaVonal order?
Answer with reference to Japan’s role in internaVonal organizaVons such as the
G8/G20, the World Bank, Chiang Mai IniVaVve, and/or the IMF.
1. Introduc[on
2. Contrast different views in the literature review and point outs what your view is
• Choose the area (G8/G20, the Chiang Mai IniBaBve, IMF, WTO/CPTPP/Japan-EU EPA)
• ProacBve? Passive? ReacBonary? Leading?
• A shi\ from a passive state to a proacBve state?
• DomesBc economic and poliBcal factors’ impact on Japan’s engagement with global/regional
organizaBons?
3. Show evidence/cases to back up your argument/view
• The Abe Doctrine’s historical revisionism, Japan’s proacBve role in TPP/CPTPP, Japan’s
proacBveness to G8, the Chiang Mai IniBaBve: Japan’s regional leadership, Japan’s limited
influence on the IMF, Japan’s proacBve contribuBon to liberal trade governance and
WTO/CPTPP/Japan-EU EPA
4. Conclusion
5. References
Q3 Japan has played a leading role in regional trade and foreign aid. Discuss
1. Introduction
2. Contrast different views in the literature review and state your view
• A shift of Japan’s regional trade policy and foreign aid strategy towards a more liberal order and global norms
• Japan’s liberalization in trade and foreign aid has been limited and reactionary to China’s progress in both foreign policies?
• Japan became a leading state in trade liberalization, but Japan still maintains mercantilist aid strategy?

3. Show evidence/cases to back up your argument/view

• Selective trade liberalisation until the 2010s
• The Abe administration accelerated trade liberalization = Japan became a pivotal state in the regional trade
negotiations.
• Japan’s foreign aid strategy seeks to improve its economy by providing accommodative business environment in
the region and protect Japan’s own presence in infrastructure investment in reaction to China’s new initiatives of
the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Asian Investment Infrastructure Bank (AIIB).

4. Conclusion
5. References
More tips
• Go beyond assigned readings
• Explore topics by finding sources beyond the list of reading.

• Think about a analytical framework/theory

• Strengthens your argument to show that it provides better explanation than
other theories
• Realist-influenced interpretations vs constructivist-based understandings of
Japan-China relationship?
• Can liberalism explain Abe’s foreign policies better than realism?
• Does the framework of post-developmental state model help us understand
Japan’s aid policies?
• Katada’s state-led liberal strategy can explain transforming Japan’s role in
trade and aid policies?