Urs Matthias Zachmann (Berlin): Weaponising Particularism: Japan's Critique of Western International Law in the Asia-Pacific War and Its Aftermath
Abstract
Japan has been often described as a successful model student of the West. This is particularly true for its adoption of norms and precepts of international law since the late 19th century. However, for a short period in time, during the Asia-Pacific War, Japan challenged the hegemony of the West and sought to ‘overcome modernity’ through the creation of an ‘East Asian International Law’. This paper outlines the epistemic operations that lay the groundwork for this new regime in the making. It will specifically focus on the consequences this had for Japan’s ‘lawfare’, i.e. the operationalisation of law in the service of maximizing Japan’s fighting power. In a third and final part, it will argue that Japan’s specific strategy in engaging with international law then subsequently severely undermined its own defence during the Tokyo Trial in the postwar period.
Time and Place
Mittwoch, 17. Januar 2018, 18–20 Uhr
Hauptgebäude, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, Raum A 016
Downloads
- GIH LMU urs matthias zachmann lecture (661 KByte)