Development as a Brand? Japanese Aid to Asia and the Case of Vietnam in a Historical Perspective

The aim of this proposal is to analyze the role of Japan in contemporary international relations. More specifically, my analysis will focus on the relationships Japan has forged with Southeast Asian countries, particularly underlining the strong link between Japan and Vietnam over the last decade. What will be taken into consideration in this context is the image requalification process Japan has been implementing since the promotion of the “Fukuda Doctrine” in 1977. Japan has indeed become one of the most active promoters of economic cooperation and development in Asia. I shall therefore consider to what extent Vietnam has benefitted from Japan's economic proactivity and on the other hand, to what extent Japan has affirmed itself in the region, countering the rising of China. From the point of view of economic and democratic development, in fact, since 1945 Japan has undergone a massive transformation that impacted on the relation with other Asian countries. The military occupation of Asia in the 30's, promoted under the banners of dōbun dōshu (“same culture, same race”) propaganda led to deep exploitation of countries natural resources, workforce and reduced millions of people to poverty. Instead, after 1945, Japan started considering that a peaceful context could help its expanding economy. As a result, through the promotion of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) since 1954, Japan began to rehabilitate itself in the eye of its neighbouring countries. As for the Vietnamese case, Ōno (2009; 84-86) pointed out that since 2001, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has been among the top four recipients of Japan's aid. Official Development Assistance has provided nearly two trillion yen in infrastructural and social development projects in the last few years. In my paper, Japanese ODA in Vietnam could therefore be interpreted as a “branding” tool to enhance what Simon Anholt calls “national reputation” (Anholt 2010). As also underlined by Negri and Hardt (2000) in fact in the new political order of globalization, “sovereignty has taken new forms”. In conclusion, the questions I shall address are how Japan has succeeded in “rehabilitating its image” and what is the real aim behind this strategy in a future perspective.