Study On The Strategic Transformation Of Japan’s Economic Diplomacy(2000-2020)

Japan is one of the earliest countries to formally propose and implement the concept of "economic diplomacy." Through effective economic diplomacy activities,Japan has been able to improve its international image as a former aggressor in World War II while creating a favorable international economic and trade environment for its own economic development,significantly enhancing its position and influence in international affairs.In comparison to the 20 th century,Japan’s economic diplomacy in the 21 st century remains an important component of its foreign policy and exhibits distinct characteristics.This study starts from the political-economic interaction mechanism of international political economy and attempts to explore the theoretical basis of economic diplomacy by analyzing the three major paradigms of international political economy.Additionally,this article attempts to define the concept of economic diplomacy by combining existing research results.Based on this,this study uses research methods such as international political economy research,comparative historical research,case analysis,and hierarchical analysis to divide the 20 years from 2000 to 2020 into three historical stages and sort out the main factors and specific measures influencing Japan’s economic diplomacy in different historical stages.The conclusions of this study are as follows:First,from 2000 to 2020,with the development of Japan’s overall national development strategy and the evolution of the international situation,Japan’s economic diplomacy has become increasingly politically oriented,and its strategic nature has continued to strengthen.The Japanese government’s use of economic diplomacy has undergone a transition from tactical utilization to strategic utilization,and economic diplomacy has gradually become an important policy tool for Japan to implement its overall national strategy.Second,in the process of Japan’s economic diplomacy policy transformation,changes in the balance of power and relationships among major powers have played a decisive role.The balance of power among China,Japan,and the United States,changes in national relationships,and the occurrence of major historical events all have varying degrees of impact on the strategic strengthening of Japan’s economic diplomacy policy.Third,Sino-Japanese relations may once again become "politically chilly and economically cool." The Kishida government will continue to cooperate with the Biden administration in economic diplomacy,work with the United States and other "like-minded countries" to build sensitive technology supply chain systems for semiconductors,communications technology,etc.,and promote "economic decoupling" from China.Moreover,Japan’s attempts to sell the "China threat theory" by using the Diaoyu Islands and Taiwan Strait questions to provide "legitimacy" for the development of offensive military forces have seriously damaged mutual security trust between China and Japan.