IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jcmkts/v59y2021i5p1230-1246.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Diffusing the Abolitionist Norm in Japan: EU ‘Death Penalty Diplomacy’ and the Gap between Rhetoric and Reality in EU–Japan Relations

Author

Listed:
  • Paul Bacon
  • Hidetoshi Nakamura

Abstract

This article uses Börzel and Risse's norm diffusion framework to conceptualize and evaluate the EU's ‘death penalty diplomacy’ in Japan. Despite the ‘exceptional’ nature of Japanese politics with regard to the death penalty the EU has enjoyed numerous successes in its attempts to diffuse the abolitionist norm within Japan. These successes have occurred through both direct and indirect methods of norm diffusion, and through socialization, persuasion and functional emulation. Despite the dramatic increase in executions in Japan in 2018, in practice the EU and Japan have established an understanding that executions will in future stabilize at a low and symbolic level. The EU has also co‐funded research that successfully challenged the Japanese government's public opinion polling‐based justification for retaining the death penalty. This research also played an important role in socializing and persuading the Japanese Federation of Bar Associations to change its official position and to support the abolition of the death penalty.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Bacon & Hidetoshi Nakamura, 2021. "Diffusing the Abolitionist Norm in Japan: EU ‘Death Penalty Diplomacy’ and the Gap between Rhetoric and Reality in EU–Japan Relations," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(5), pages 1230-1246, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jcmkts:v:59:y:2021:i:5:p:1230-1246
    DOI: 10.1111/jcms.13177
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.13177
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/jcms.13177?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tuomas Forsberg, 2011. "Normative Power Europe, Once Again: A Conceptual Analysis of an Ideal Type," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(6), pages 1183-1204, November.
    2. Ian Manners, 2002. "Normative Power Europe: A Contradiction in Terms?," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(2), pages 235-258, June.
    3. Michelle Pace, 2007. "The Construction of EU Normative Power," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45, pages 1041-1064, December.
    4. Michelle Pace, 2007. "The Construction of EU Normative Power," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(5), pages 1041-1064, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Anders Persson, 2017. "Shaping Discourse and Setting Examples: Normative Power Europe can Work in the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(6), pages 1415-1431, November.
    2. Gerau, Jasmin, 2012. "Shared Perceptions of Green? The perception and acceptance of European Union values and rules in environmental policy in Jordan," IEE Working Papers 195, Ruhr University Bochum, Institute of Development Research and Development Policy (IEE).
    3. Ajaree Tavornmas & Kasira Cheeppensook, 2020. "Shaping ocean governance: a study of EU normative power on Thailand’s sustainable fisheries," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 671-685, July.
    4. K. Cheeppensook, 2020. "ASEAN in the South China Sea conflict, 2012–2018: A lesson in conflict transformation from normative power Europe," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 747-764, July.
    5. Georgios K. Bountagkidis & Konstantinos C. Fragkos & Christos C. Frangos, 2015. "EU Development Aid towards Sub-Saharan Africa: Exploring the Normative Principle," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-32, January.
    6. Neve Gordon & Sharon Pardo, 2015. "Normative Power Europe meets the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 265-274, September.
    7. Neve Gordon & Sharon Pardo, 2015. "Normative Power Europe and the Power of the Local," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(2), pages 416-427, March.
    8. Marjolein Derous, 2018. "Problematizations in the EU’s external policies: the case of Singapore as “the other”," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 423-437, December.
    9. Henrik Larsen, 2014. "The EU as a Normative Power and the Research on External Perceptions: The Missing Link," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(4), pages 896-910, July.
    10. De Zutter, Elisabeth & Toro, Francisco, 2008. "Normative Power is in the Eye of the Beholder: An Empirical Assessment of Perceptions of EU Identity at the WTO," MERIT Working Papers 2008-074, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    11. Chiara De Franco & Christoph O. Meyer & Karen E. Smith, 2015. "‘Living by Example?’ The European Union and the Implementation of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P)," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(5), pages 994-1009, September.
    12. Matúš Mišík, 2013. "How can perception help us to understand the dynamic between EU member states? The state of the art," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 11(4), pages 445-463, December.
    13. Juha Jokela & Bart Gaens, 2012. "Interregional relations and legitimacy in global governance: the EU in ASEM," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 10(2), pages 145-164, July.
    14. Giselle Bosse, 2022. "Does the EU Have Moral Authority? A Communicative Action Perspective on Sanctions," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 10(1), pages 16-25.
    15. Médéric Martin-Mazé, 2015. "Unpacking Interests in Normative Power Europe," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(6), pages 1285-1300, November.
    16. Mikael Mattlin, 2012. "Dead on arrival: normative EU policy towards China," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 10(2), pages 181-198, July.
    17. Peter Viggo Jakobsen, 2009. "Small States, Big Influence: The Overlooked Nordic Influence on the Civilian ESDP," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(1), pages 81-102, January.
    18. Luuk Middelaar, 2016. "The Return of Politics – The European Union after the crises in the eurozone and Ukraine," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(3), pages 495-507, May.
    19. Loredana SIMIONOV, 2021. "European Union's pursuit of resilience in the Eastern Neighbourhood," CES Working Papers, Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, vol. 12(4), pages 257-266, February.
    20. May-Britt Stumbaum, 2015. "The diffusion of norms in security-related fields: views from China, India and the EU," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 331-347, September.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:jcmkts:v:59:y:2021:i:5:p:1230-1246. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0021-9886 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.