From Anti-Japanese Movements to a Wave of “Japanization”: Reexamination of the Changes in the Thai Perception of Japan during the 1970s–1990s

Abstract

This paper examines changes in the Thai perception of Japan during the 1970s to 1990s. In the 1970s, strong anti-Japanese sentiments permeated Thai society and led to large-scale anti-Japanese movements. In the 1990s, however, a wave called “Japanization” became a social phenomenon in Thailand. The influence of Japanese culture was ubiquitous, but this time imbued with a favorable reputation and popularity. This paper reanalyzes the timing and reasons behind this change. This paper reevaluates the validity of the “Japan-as-scapegoat” theory in analyzing anti-Japanese sentiment in Southeast Asia, and the Fukuda Doctrine as the pivotal factor in the Southeast Asian shift in perception of Japan. Rather, this paper argues that the pivotal moment of change was the 1985 Plaza Accord, as anti-Japanese sentiments in Thailand was exacerbated in the 1980s, even after the Fukuda Doctrine. During this period the Thai public perceived the animosity as economic in nature, whereas the Japanese viewed it as a cultural conflict. This perceptual mismatch led to a Japanese solution that clashed with Thai values, further intensifying the friction. The discourse of Japan’s “insincerity” in the 1980s best exemplifies this gap in perception.