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Beyond Mimesis: Japan and the Uses of Political Ideology in Singapore

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... Japan had become Singapore's largest foreign investor and trading partner. In fact, the 1980s saw an official 'Learn from Japan' campaign in Singapore, in which Japan was depicted as an Asian model for Singapore's economic and social development (Avenell, 2014). Avenell (2014) points out that, however, rather than being about Japan itself, "learning from Japan was about Singaporean nation-building and […] often involved the invocation of a flagrantly invented 'Japan'" (p.32). ...
... In fact, the 1980s saw an official 'Learn from Japan' campaign in Singapore, in which Japan was depicted as an Asian model for Singapore's economic and social development (Avenell, 2014). Avenell (2014) points out that, however, rather than being about Japan itself, "learning from Japan was about Singaporean nation-building and […] often involved the invocation of a flagrantly invented 'Japan'" (p.32). So too, the 'Japan' presented in the textbook narrative of the JO has been the 'Japan' that Singapore needed for its own nation building and identity formation. ...
Thesis
The portrayal of periods of war and occupation in school texts have played a central role in the process of constructing national identity around the world. This study examines how the history of the Japanese Occupation (1942-1945) has been used in the construction and maintenance of a Singaporean national identity, by analyzing the portrayals of the different ethnic groups in Singapore (the Self) and of Japan (the main Other) in school textbooks and museum exhibits dealing with that period. The thesis examines all ten government-authored primary- and lower-secondary-level history and social studies textbooks from 1985 to 2015, and exhibitions in national museums from 2006 to 2017 for the purpose of triangulation. It examines the way images of the Self and the Other have changed and contributed to the state-sponsored constructions of a national identity in Singapore. For this purpose, this study identifies and applies a new set of analytical categories for analyzing the Self, the internal Other, and the external Other. The analysis is used to assess the explanatory power of the prevailing theories distinguishing between civic and ethnic forms of nationalism. The findings show that, despite the official adoption and rhetoric of multiracialism, an ethnocultural conception of the nation has prevailed until today, and that overall there has been a gradual shift towards an increasingly multicultural conception of the nation. The findings also show that the ‘Japan’ presented in the textbook narrative of the Japanese Occupation, both as archetypal enemy and military model, has been the ‘Japan’ that Singapore needed for its own nation building and identity formation. While the findings show neither a clear convergence with nor rejection of one theory or another regarding the civic-ethnic typology, Brown’s (2000) addition of the multicultural type to the civic-ethnic typology of conceptions provides a more nuanced and useful tool for the analysis of the trend found in the Singapore textbooks.
... Indeed, during this period China's elites were assiduously cultivating the Japanese—as key contributors of aid, investment and advice for the nascent 'Reform and Opening' drive. Deng Xiaoping and his key lieutenants were keen to bury the hatchet with Japan, and to emulate as far as possible the miraculous economic success of their eastern neighbour (Vogel 2011, chapter 10). 5 This impulse was shared with, and perhaps reinforced by, the authoritarian leader of Singapore , Lee Kuan Yew, who was simultaneously launching a very public 'Learn from Japan' campaign (Avenell 2013). The Communists never feted Japan in such explicit and unqualified terms, but Deng publicly invoked the inspiring example of Meiji-era modernization. ...
... Indeed, during this period China's elites were assiduously cultivating the Japanese—as key contributors of aid, investment and advice for the nascent 'Reform and Opening' drive. Deng Xiaoping and his key lieutenants were keen to bury the hatchet with Japan, and to emulate as far as possible the miraculous economic success of their eastern neighbour (Vogel 2011, chapter 10). 5 This impulse was shared with, and perhaps reinforced by, the authoritarian leader of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, who was simultaneously launching a very public 'Learn from Japan' campaign (Avenell 2013). The Communists never feted Japan in such explicit and unqualified terms, but Deng publicly invoked the inspiring example of Meiji-era modernization. ...
... Given Japan's image jump from Samurai to 'cute,' philosopher Simon May (2019) points out that in contrast to Germany's unambivalent apologetic attitudes about WWII, Japan, with the elusiveness of cute, manages to avoid direct answers to questions of morality, responsibility, and sincerity. To other Asian nations, contemporary Japan is both 'one of us'-a positive, normative model for nation-building (Avenell, 2013)-and an 'other' to be wary of. In fact, Japan's national identity has always existed in a triad with 'the inferior Asia' and 'the advanced West' (Iwabuchi, 2002, p. 7;Tanaka, 1995). ...
Article
Full-text available
In China, despite the traumatic collective memory relating to militaristic Japan during World War II, an increasing number of Chinese young adults have developed an obsession with Japanese culture, due to its export of anime, movies, pop music, and other popular culture. Based on interviews with 40 Chinese and Japanese young adults, this work examines how contemporary pop culture and historical war memories related to Japan influenced Chinese young adults, who had to reconcile their contradictory sentiments toward the Japanese government, people, and culture. The success of Japanese pop culture in China also shows how the allegedly apolitical, virtual sphere of entertainment has helped build Japan’s soft power through shaping a cool image of Japan in Asia and worldwide.
... But this ignores that the strategy of authoritarian leaders of both South Korea and Taiwan (both former Japanese colonies) imitated the Meiji formula of "development from above" while repressing popular participation from below (Kohli 1999;Suehiro 2008). Singapore is also an important case of illiberal rule modeled on Meiji Japan (Avenell 2013). Singapore, in turn, has become a model for China as a guide to authoritarian persistence during and after economic modernization (Ortmann andThompson 2014, 2016). ...
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