Araştırma Makalesi

Japan's Pursuit of Ontological Security After the 2022 Energy Crisis

Sayı: 20 27 Eylül 2026
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Japan's Pursuit of Ontological Security After the 2022 Energy Crisis

Öz

The ontological security approach holds that states seek to preserve not only their physical existence but also the continuity of their identity narratives. Economic security constitutes a domain in which states’ pursuit of ontological security intersects with their material vulnerabilities. After the Second World War, Japan constructed a national identity narrative grounded in autonomy, technological competence, and economic success. The 2022 energy crisis rendered pre-existing concerns about dependence on China in renewable energy technologies and critical raw materials newly visible within the discourse of economic security. Within this framework, the study examines how Japan’s policy orientation toward reducing economic dependence on China and diversifying supply chains is articulated in official documents and leaders’ discourses through the perspective of dependency-induced ontological vulnerability. It employs interpretive discourse analysis through an abductive approach, in which theoretical indicators shape the analysis while discursive patterns of meaning are interpreted in dialogue with the text. The analysis points to three findings. Dependence on China is framed as a strategic vulnerability. Supply chain diversification is presented as an institutional practice of dependency management. The renewable energy transition is constructed cautiously within a narrative of autonomy and technological capacity because of the risk that it may create new dependencies on China. These findings demonstrate that Japan’s post-2022 energy policies are made meaningful in official discourse by being associated with a pursuit of ontological security aiming to preserve the continuity of the national identity narrative.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Etik Beyan

In this research article, ethics committee permission was not required as the data were not obtained using survey or interview techniques.

Kaynakça

  1. Agency for Natural Resources and Energy. (2020). Japan’s new international resource strategy to secure rare metals. https://www.enecho.meti.go.jp/en/category/special/article/detail_158.html
  2. Berenskoetter, F. (2014). Parameters of a national biography. European Journal of International Relations, 20(1), 262-288.
  3. Berger, T. U. (1996). Norms, identity and national security in Germany and Japan. In P. J. Katzenstein (Ed.), The culture of national security: Norms and identity in world politics. Columbia University Press.
  4. Berger, T. U. (1998). Cultures of antimilitarism: National security in Germany and Japan. Johns Hopkins University Press.
  5. Blumer, H. (1954). What is wrong with social theory? American Sociological Review, 19(1), 3-10.
  6. Cabinet Secretariat. (2023). The basic policy for the realization of GX. Government of Japan. https://www.cas.go.jp/jp/seisaku/gx_jikkou_kaigi/pdf/kihon_en.pdf
  7. Cherp, A., Vinichenko, V., Jewell, J., Suzuki, M., & Antal, M. (2017). Comparing electricity transitions: A historical analysis of nuclear, wind and solar power in Germany and Japan. Energy Policy, 101, 612-628.
  8. Chiang, M. H. (2019). Contemporary China–Japan relations: The politically driven economic linkage. East Asia, 36(4), 271-290.

Ayrıntılar

Birincil Dil

İngilizce

Konular

Uzakdoğu Çalışmaları

Bölüm

Araştırma Makalesi

Yayımlanma Tarihi

27 Eylül 2026

Gönderilme Tarihi

9 Nisan 2026

Kabul Tarihi

15 Haziran 2026

Yayımlandığı Sayı

Yıl 2026 Sayı: 20

Kaynak Göster

APA
Durdu, Ç., & Kalkan, E. (2026). Japan’s Pursuit of Ontological Security After the 2022 Energy Crisis. İmgelem, 20, 35-56. https://doi.org/10.53791/imgelem.1926214
AMA
1.Durdu Ç, Kalkan E. Japan’s Pursuit of Ontological Security After the 2022 Energy Crisis. İMGELEM. 2026;(20):35-56. doi:10.53791/imgelem.1926214
Chicago
Durdu, Çağıl, ve Erol Kalkan. 2026. “Japan’s Pursuit of Ontological Security After the 2022 Energy Crisis”. İmgelem, sy 20: 35-56. https://doi.org/10.53791/imgelem.1926214.
EndNote
Durdu Ç, Kalkan E (01 Eylül 2026) Japan’s Pursuit of Ontological Security After the 2022 Energy Crisis. İmgelem 20 35–56.
IEEE
[1]Ç. Durdu ve E. Kalkan, “Japan’s Pursuit of Ontological Security After the 2022 Energy Crisis”, İMGELEM, sy 20, ss. 35–56, Eyl. 2026, doi: 10.53791/imgelem.1926214.
ISNAD
Durdu, Çağıl - Kalkan, Erol. “Japan’s Pursuit of Ontological Security After the 2022 Energy Crisis”. İmgelem. 20 (01 Eylül 2026): 35-56. https://doi.org/10.53791/imgelem.1926214.
JAMA
1.Durdu Ç, Kalkan E. Japan’s Pursuit of Ontological Security After the 2022 Energy Crisis. İMGELEM. 2026;:35–56.
MLA
Durdu, Çağıl, ve Erol Kalkan. “Japan’s Pursuit of Ontological Security After the 2022 Energy Crisis”. İmgelem, sy 20, Eylül 2026, ss. 35-56, doi:10.53791/imgelem.1926214.
Vancouver
1.Çağıl Durdu, Erol Kalkan. Japan’s Pursuit of Ontological Security After the 2022 Energy Crisis. İMGELEM. 01 Eylül 2026;(20):35-56. doi:10.53791/imgelem.1926214

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