Globalization and the discourse of Japan's national identity: The politics of the Other

Japan's past discourse of national identity was mostly formed through modernization and an attempted self-location between the West and Asia. Little concern was given during this process to 'the Other' residing within Japan's national boundaries. Globalization in the present context, however, has promoted a more multicultural environment and dissolved the once rigid lines of these boundaries. Moreover, it has empowered historically marginalized people in Japanese society, including Korean, Okinawan, and Ainu minorities. Globalization also offers serious challenges to Japan's well-ingrained "homogenous society" myth, leading to the formation of both neo-nationalist and transnationalist movements. Simple rejection or tolerance of the differences of 'the Other', however, are insufficient models for a just society. Re-examination of the role of the nation-state as an apparatus of exclusive national identity and dialogues and social practices among the different groups involved could lead to the creation of a more open and intersectional public sphere in Japan.