A Comparative Study Of Post-war US-Japan Economic Diplomacy

This paper is a comparative study of the economic diplomacy of the United States and Japan in the postwar period.This paper argues that "economic diplomacy"means that a country,based on political considerations,uses economic tools as a medium for a specific strategic diplomatic goal through power relations,and that the acting subject(state,state association,international organization,etc.)acts and controls the acting subject(also state,state association,international organization,etc.)in order to guide or The act of guiding or forcing the subject to comply with the policy goals and interests of the subject.There are two forms of economic diplomacy,i.e.,"foreign relations activities conducted by a government or an agency or official on its behalf for the purpose of its own economic interests";second,"foreign relations activities conducted by a government or an agency or official on its behalf for the purpose of achieving and maintaining its own national strategic goals by means of or on the basis of its own economic power.The United States and Japan's economic diplomacy is the result of the war.The economic diplomacy of the United States and Japan are the two most typical types of economic diplomacy in the history of postwar international relations.The breadth of its targets,the multiplicity of its strategic objectives,the richness of its strategic means,and the prominence of its strategic effects all provide conditions for exploring the nature,role,and significance of economic diplomacy.The practice of economic diplomacy,in turn,as a dynamic element in the international social system and power structure,forms a strategic intersection and interaction that is cross-nested,interacts,and influences each other,which creates the possibility for a comparative study of U.S.and Japanese economic diplomacy on the basis of the theory of hierarchical analysis.The economic diplomacy of the United States and Japan in the postwar period is in the same or similar spatial and temporal context,facing common but distinct opportunities and challenges.This study focuses on the perceptions and responses of U.S.and Japanese economic diplomacy to such opportunities and challenges,and attempts to explore them through a comparative study.From a historical perspective,what economic diplomacy practices did the U.S.and Japan engage in at different stages of the postwar period? What are the characteristics of their development and evolution?From a theoretical perspective,what are the connections and differences between U.S.and Japanese economic diplomacy? What are the main drivers of these linkages and differences? How do they affect the decisions and implementation of U.S.and Japanese economic diplomacy? These questions are the main lines of inquiry and answers in this paper.Through the historical process of the formation and development of U.S.and Japanese economic diplomacy,this study identifies the following findings based on the shift in strategic focus and the adjustment and evolution of strategies.First,the early post-war period was the formation stage of the new international economic and trade order,and the United States and Japan chose completely different paths of economic diplomacy due to their different positions in the international system and power resources.The U.S.shaped the new international economic and trade order in its favor through economic diplomacy and formed a path of economic diplomacy that focused more on gaining and maintaining economic power.Japan,on the other hand,actively pursued economic diplomacy in Southeast Asia to escape from the depression and stagnation brought about by the war,to rebuild its international image,and to form a path of economic diplomacy more focused on acquiring and expanding economic rights and interests.Second,in the post-Cold War period,with the full development of productivity and increasingly close global economic and trade ties,the status and weight of economic diplomacy in diplomatic strategy continued to rise.Security concerns have also become a major issue in economic diplomacy that cannot be ignored,and issues involving international trade and economy such as energy,trade,and high-tech products have become the focus of security concerns in diplomatic strategy.The U.S.and Japan,which have overwhelming volume and advantages in the fields of trade,commerce and science and technology,have also launched the construction of securitization in their economic diplomacy.Trade barriers,trade protection and economic sanctions have become new tools of economic diplomacy and have been given a more security connotation.The formation and development of this trend not only changed the content and direction of international economic and trade development,but also laid the groundwork for the disintegration of the bipolar pattern and the new global economic and trade order thereafter.Third,Third,after the end of the Cold War,the disintegration of the bipolar structure released the security burden on international economic trade,and the rapid development of globalization from 1990 s due to the present is the catalyst for the unprecedented international economic and trade prosperity in human history.After entering a new era of leapfrog development,the U.S.and Japan's economic diplomacy needs to respond strategically to the two major trends of globalization and regionalization in the face of the changed international economic and trade landscape.For the U.S.,"other countries benefitting disproportionately from free trade agreements" is defined as a threat to U.S.economic security,and to counter this threat and ensure U.S.leadership in the global economy is a dual responsibility of the U.S.as an extraterritorial country and a major player in the Asia-Pacific region.In its dual role,U.S.economic diplomacy has responded to the strategic challenge of parallel globalization and regionalization.In the face of the integration of the Asia-Pacific region and the awakening of the sense of community among the countries in the region,Japan has the following strategic ideas: first,to establish a new tripolar international order among the United States,Japan,and Europe by economic means;second,to strengthen U.S.-Japan security and to highlight itself as a member of the West;besides using the U.S.-Japan alliance to establish good relations with the Asia-Pacific countries,Japan also assumes itself as an advanced democratizing country in the Asia-Pacific region and leads the democratization of the Asia-Pacific region.As a democratic country in the Asia-Pacific,Japan believes that it must strive to make the Asia-Pacific stable and peaceful.Looking back at the entire evolution of U.S.and Japanese economic diplomacy from its formation to its development,it is easy to see that the status and weight of economic affairs in diplomacy has continued to increase.As a special area where traditional and non-traditional diplomacy intersect,economic diplomacy has been a long-standing object of attention and research in the field of international relations.Among the established studies on economic diplomacy,the nature,means,status and role of economic diplomacy have received more attention.Throughout the history of diplomacy since World War ?,the constructive role of economic diplomacy has intensified and its influence has spilled over,especially after globalization has brought all mankind closer together than ever before,the constructive role of economic diplomacy has become even more irreplaceable.But at the same time,we should also see that the concept of "cooperation,mutual benefit and win-win" advocated by economic diplomacy has not always prevailed in foreign policy,and even in certain historical contexts,economic diplomacy itself can become a cause of conflict and confrontation.At the entrance of the second decade of the 21 st century,how to rebuild the leadership and progressivism of the international community through win-win cooperation and inclusive growth under the framework of economic diplomacy,and how economic diplomacy can play an active role in preventing and resolving conflict risks,expanding the common welfare of mankind,and promoting the governance of the international economic system,will be a test question left to all participants in international affairs.