HONOLULU ¨C A common sight seen throughout Japan these days are signs that read Ganbaro Nippon (translated ¡°Don¡¯t give up Japan¡°).
It has become the battle cry among Japanese for dealing with the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake-triggered disasters. In a country united by shared grief and suffering, it is a plea by Japanese for Japanese to struggle together through the difficulties.
Yet, this focus on shared pain carries with it a potentially negative consequence for Japan¡¯s foreign engagement. The Japanese people¡¯s singular focus on domestic recovery ¡ª which can best be termed ¡°Disaster Nationalism¡± ¡ª has the potential of constraining the political elite¡¯s ability to promote new foreign policy initiatives.
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