Nissan Seminar: Ra Mason (East Anglia), ‘Okinawa: “Keystone of the Pacific”?’
Convener(s): Professor Kristi Govella and Dr. Alice Baldock
Speaker(s): Ra Mason (East Anglia)
In attempting to explicate the complexities of Okinawa, as the so-called “Keystone of the Pacific,” the specific and complex extent to which Chinese infiltration, Japanese subjugation and American military occupation of the Island and its off islands have utterly reshaped their politics, economics and society is often misunderstood or misrepresented. Yet, the legacy of such remains starkly evident on the Ryukyus to this day. In response, this presentation addresses deep and seemingly contradictory discrepancies in the impact upon different aspects and sectors of contemporary Okinawa. To that end, it adopts a historically informed, decentred approach that examines the role of Okinawan agency in asking to what extent Okinawa’s postwar experience shaped key forces and voices on the islands. This includes how key commercial and government actors optimized, utilized or otherwise circumvented the so-called “base economy,” and the role of settler militarism in shaping narratives of geopolitical security and social development. The presentation thereby seeks to elucidate how: i) local Okinawan politics remain deeply influenced by, entangled with, and framed in relation to base politics; ii) militarism and securitisation have led to diverse economic adaptations and innovations across commercial and local government sectors; iii) neither geopolitical security or a free and prosperous society are reliant upon the military presence in its own right, but narratives of deterrence and alliance have become central aspects of Okinawa’s multifaceted identity, as a recalibrated “keystone of the Pacific.”
Ra Mason is Sasakawa Associate Professor of International Relations and Japanese Foreign Policy at the University of East Anglia. His work draws on theories of risk, security and social construction to understand the complex relations between regional alliances, states and non-state actors. His monograph, Japan's Relations with North Korea and the Recalibration of Risk, was highly acclaimed by specialists in the field and was followed by coauthorship of two further breakthrough books on Japan's international relations and foreign policy, Regional Risk and Security in Japan: Whither the Everyday? and Risk State: Japan's Foreign Policy in an Age of Uncertainty. His latest book, Okinawa: Great Power Competition and the Keystone of the Pacific, was reviewed positively by Foreign Affairs and has been hotly debated, as well as being the subject of dedicated events at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, University of Warwick and Lund University. He is also a regular international media contributor and has held visiting posts at Tohoku University, Ritsumeikan University, and Meio University.
