Qualitative Research on Japan-China stategic rivalry

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K12720
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 06020:International relations-related
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: Sakabe-Mori Aki 筑波大学, 人文社会系, 助教 (00580755)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 中国 / 日本 / 多国間関係 / 戦略的対立 / 国連海洋法条約

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research addressed Chinese international behaviors and Japan-China diplomatic rivalry in mainly maritime issues in the context of enlarged competition of the two countries, by applying modified theory of the strategic rivalry. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a maternity and child care leave from October 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023, I could not research at abroad and I needed to pause this research temporarily. However, I was succeeded to publish an article about constructing China's maritime territorial understandings at a peer-review journal in Japan. This topic is a part of this research, because deepening understanding on this issue may contribute to explain China's source of international behavior in the maritime issues. Moreover, I examined theoretical scope of the strategic rivalry, which had been strongly linked with military conflicts and outbreaks of wars in previous studies, as a diplomatic rivalry among the major powers in the context of 21th century.

Free Research Field

国際関係論

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、中国の対外行動の前提となる同国の海洋領域認識の実証的検討を行うとともに、二国間関係の文脈で説明されてきた日中関係を、両国による他国の支持獲得競争という多国間関係に着目して捉え直し、戦略的対立の理論の修正的適用を試みた。「300万平方キロメートルの海洋国土」という中国の海洋領域認識の形成過程を分析することで、本研究は中国と現存する海洋国際秩序との緊張構造の解明に大きく寄与した。また本研究は、戦争に至らない大国間の外交競争という21世紀の日中関係の文脈に戦略的対立の理論を置き直すことで、従来は武力衝突や戦争へのエスカレーションに強く関係付けられてきた同理論の説明力を高めている。