Outline of collaborative research
With the 80th anniversary of the start of the Allied Occupation of Japan (1945-1952), America’s failure in Afghanistan, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine heavily influencing world events, scholarly interest in Japan and the Cold War is increasing.
This project re-examined the influence of the Cold War on Japan, from the perspective of security and strategy, and approaches which have been neglected in recent decades, with the rise of social and cultural studies of the era. As such, this research project sits at the cutting edge of a new ‘turn’ in Cold War studies –and will enable Ritsumeikan to be a leader in international collaborative research relating to this shift in Cold War and International Relations scholarship.
As an outcome of the project, a book titled New-Perspectives-on-Peacetime-Anglo-Japanese-Military-Relations-Old-Friends-New-Partners was published in May 2025, edited by Professor French, the principal investigator of the project. A number of other outcomes including conference papers, journal articles and conference presentations were also produced, and a second edited volume is in production.
Also, two major international conferences were held, which were attended by academics from around the world. The conferences, which were both filmed, have laid the foundation for a persistent international network within Cold War Japan-connected research.
Papers, etc.
Peer-reviewed papers
- 2023 European Japan Advanced Research Network (EJARN) Annual Conference paper by Mason, R. and French, T.
Book
- New Perspectives on Peacetime Anglo–Japanese Military Relations: Old Friends-New-Partners, Published on May 23, 2025, Routledge
Symposia, seminars, etc.
International symposia
- UEA conference in 2024 (August 2024), UEA, U.K.
- RU conference in 2025 (February 2025), Ritsumeikan University, Japan
Future prospects/aspiration
Collaboration started within the project led to the awarding of the major JSPS KAKENHI grant with French as Principal Investigator (project title “The British, the Commonwealth, and the Occupied - Re-Examining the International and Domestic Aspects of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force of Japan (1945 to 1952)”).
More results are expected in the coming months and several articles stemming from the project are to be published in 2026.
A second edited volume based on the two conferences is now in production and likely to be published in 2027. Further conferences are also planned for 2027 onwards.
Thus, we will continue to strive to further expand and maintain the network created through this project.
