Japanese International Cultural Policy under the U. S. Occupation and International Organizations: The Case of UNESCO Cooperation Movement
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概要
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Due to the East-West and South-North conflicts, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has been unable to efficiently discharge its peaceful mission for nearly five decades. Many major member states, in particular big powers, have frequently expressed their discontent with the performance of the organization and some have even withdrawn their memberships. In contrast with these states, Japan has pursued a coherently constructive policy toward UNESCO since its admission despite bearing an increasing financial burden. Moreover, Japan is possibly the only state to voluntarily embark on UNESCO cooperation activities while not a member of the organization. This article throws light on the formation of Japan's UNESCO movement during the occupation era so as to provide a historical base for our understanding of such a cooperative attitude. By scrutinizing the roles of civic activists, the Japanese government, and the occupation authorities (known as "GHQ"), this article elucidates that the origin of Japan's UNESCO cooperation was not only derived from the aspiration toward the organization's peaceful thoughts but also shaped by a variety of expectations with domestic implications.The UNESCO movement in Japan was inaugurated under the initiatives of civic cultural groups and eminent figures, many of whom stated that they were willing to cooperate with UNESCO so as to echo the peaceful ideals illustrated in the organization's constitution. Two more pragmatic goals —enhancing the resurrection of cultural communication with the international society, and utilizing UNESCO's pacifist image for the sake of domestic political interests— also served as important short-term reasons for the emergence of the movement.Fully aware of the vulnerability of UNESCO's mission under the Cold War international setting, the Japanese government (especially the Foreign Office and later, the Ministry of Education) began to use UNESCO cooperation as a convenient pretext to revitalize its domestic cultural enterprises rather than just as a method for maintaining international peace. Government officials also regarded the movement as an optimal tool to pave the way for Japan's return to postwar international arena.As the initial ruler of the defeated Japan, GHQ was bewildered by the complex background of the Japanese UNESCO movement. But it gradually became supportive, albeit without losing cautiousness, to the development of UNESCO-related activities in Japan when U. S. officers gradually realized that such activities might be helpful in smoothing their efforts at reforming Japan through cultural methods.The UNESCO movement thrived upon such complicated expectations of various actors, and has left two important legacies: (1) a complex interministerial policy-making system regarding UNESCO; (2) the existence of civic UNESCO groups whose representatives are permanently present in the government's decision-making body. The interactions of these elements could exert strong influence on Japanese cooperation with UNESCO after its affiliation.
- 一般財団法人 日本国際政治学会の論文
一般財団法人 日本国際政治学会 | 論文
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