Globalization of Japan as "the far east" from the viewpoint of transportation & telecommunication infrastructure

Abstract

There is no doubt that globalization has been one of the principal issues of geographical studies since the late 20th century. Many geographers recognize that the globalization of Japan falls behind that of Europe and the USA. Did the globalization of modern japan truly begin suddenly in the late 20th century? If not, when did it cccur? In this paper, I discuss the globalization process of modern Japan from the viewpoint of the development of international transportation and telecommunication infrastructure. It is concluded that the globalization of Japan started when the first regular international shipping line, mail, and telecommunication services were introduced in the late 19th century. The globalization of Japan v/as launched when the country was incorporated into the transportation and telecommunication system constructed by the UK to support colonial rule: This can be referred to as the "British Global System.' After the Industrial Revolution, the UK developed transportation and telecommunication routes to India and China to expand trade in raw materials and products. Tl>ose routes were subsequently extended to Japan in the Far East, and the westward global route from Japan was established. On the other hand, the eastward global route across the Pacific was developed by the USA. Japan was inevitably incorporated into the "American Global System." which arose based on the global strategies of the USA. For Japan, globalization was simply incorporation into those two global systems. As the 'Far East" of the world. Japan needed a westward global route just as the 'Far West" needed an eastward global route. The Japanese government maintained subsidized shipping lines, railroads, airlines, and telecommunication facilities under state control to secure the westward global route, including to Asian countries, and the eastward global route direcdy connected to the USA. Japan placed more emphasis on the American Global System because of the increased presence of the USA following the development of air transportation and satellite communications after World War II. This trend was strengthened after the diffusion of the Internet and optical fiber networks.