Japanese non-mainstream political discourse in the context of the latest Russia-Japan relations

Abstract

The state and prospects of Russian-Japanese relations after the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis depend on both foreign and domestic political factors, including the views on geopolitical issues of Japanese political elites and also the degree of their independence relative to the US. The official Japanese political discourse is completely consolidated with the American after the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis. The opposition to mainstream discourse within Japan, its effectiveness and significance for Russian-Japanese relations is studied. Analysis of the expert opinion with help of in-depth interviewing, as well as secondary sources and public speeches are presented. The conclusion is that the support of the US and the unified Western narrative is due to the current leadership of PM F. Kishida, as well as the traditional weakness of the Japanese opposition under the dominance of the ruling LDP. The visibility of consolidation is also strengthened by specific conductors of mainstream discourse - the Japanese media. Nevertheless, for a number of representatives of the Japanese political opposition, the Ukrainian crisis has become a weighty argument in criticizing the official discourse. Non-mainstream discourse increases its influence on mainstream, as well as on Japanese public opinion. The research results are also important because in the current Russian-Japanese relations, Russia is willing to know the political actors and their activities, which can be relied on to normalize these relations and promote in Japan the Russian point of view on the Ukrainian crisis and the role of the US in it.