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Título: De-militarizing Military: Confirming Japan's Self-defense Forces' Identity as a Disaster Relief Agency in the 2011 Tohoku Triple Crisis
Autores: Yeo, Yezi; University of Tokyo
Fecha: 2013-08-06
Publicador: Asia Journal of Global Studies
Fuente:
Tipo: info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Tema: No aplica
Descripción: Large scale natural/man-made disasters, such as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, tsunami and nuclear triple crisis, bear horrible human, social and economic costs. However, they may simultaneously present opportunities for military actors to perform reconstruction and humanitarian efforts that usually receive considerable media coverage. If performed successfully, and covered substantially, these humanitarian activities may influence, change, or confirm public attitudes and understanding of a nation's military role and social acceptance. For Japan's Self-defense Forces, the 2011 Tohoku relief efforts marked the first large-scale domestic opportunity to be successfully utilized, thereby fulfilling its proclaimed mission statement as Japan's primary disaster relief organization (in comparison to the much criticized response to the 1995 Kobe Earthquake). This paper provides an overview of the literature regarding militarized humanitarianism and disaster relief, which has been debated globally since its growing prevalence in the 1990s, and implications for the SDF's public image-making and social positioning. It examines the current identity confirmation of the traditionally insecure existence and role of the SDF in the Tohoku relief efforts as a military by emphasizing this non-combatant aspect.
Idioma: Inglés