Legitimizing the Legislation: Peace and Security for all? Constructing a narrative of inevitability

Abstract: Japan continuously attempts to reinterpret war-renouncing Article 9 while at the same time stressing its devotion to pacifism, most recently through the Legislation for Peace and Security. The new Legislation allows Japan to engage in collective self-defense, which was considered unconstitutional for 70 years. This thesis examines Japan’s legitimization of such change, answering the question; how does the Japanese State attempt to create consensus for the necessity of the Legislation? Through discourse analysis, Japan’s strategic narrative of change is analysed. Government whitepapers, statements, press conferences, informational videos, homepages, cabinet decisions, and legislation served as empirical data. The analysis arrives at the following results; the Japanese narrative is strategically ambiguous, thereby targeting divergent audiences. Conventionally considered dichotomous ideas of liberalism/realism cooperate and arrive at one and the same result; the inevitability of the Legislation. Pacifism is indispensible for Japan’s narrative, ensuring a continuation on the chosen path as a peaceloving nation, doing so as an integral part of the existing order. Thus, despite scholars frequently focusing on the authenticity of pacifism and liberalism in Japan’s foreign policy approach, these concepts are in fact crucial for the construction of a functioning narrative of change.