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Manga and militarism: rehabilitating military violence in Japan
Warrack, M. (2025). Manga and militarism: rehabilitating military violence in Japan. The Pacific Review, 1-29: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09512748.2025.2484343
Flipping a standard premise in the Japan security debate: Japan's culture resists remilitarisation, the article outlines a process of 'cultural remilitarisation' connected to manga (Japanese comics) that positively portray the JSDF enacting violence. It traces the industry-origins of the manga and illustrates (pun intended) how they frame JSDF violence as a legitimate tool of statecraft, presenting a cultural explanation for Japan's post-Cold War security trajectory. It speaks to research on the relationship between culture and politics and Japan's security.