International pressure and Japanese withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission

When shaming fails

Bibliographic Data

ID12348317
AuthorsM Kolmaš (0000-0001-7123-9965, Metropolitan University Prague, Prague, Czech Republic, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume75
Issue2
Pages197-216
Publication date2020-08-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAustralian Journal Of International Affairs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1035-7718 • E-ISSN: 1465-332X
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10357718.2020.1799936
OpenAlexW3047612584
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited56

Shaming in international relations has been extensively analysed as a normative practice that aims to persuade the target to comply with certain norms. Recently, IR scholars have identified cases, in which this process failed or antagonised the target. But although these studies have shown us how shaming works, they have not fully explained under what conditions shaming works. To remedy this, the article analyses the role of shaming in Japanese whaling controversy. In 2018, Japan announced its withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission, defying three decades of sustained international pressure. I identify two versions of shaming of Japanese whaling: premoratorium ‘soft' and post-moratorium ‘hard' shaming. The former, although less confrontational, had normative impact on Japanese society and policymaking, leading Tokyo to accept the moratorium and scale down on its whaling operations. The latter, marked by attacks of NGOs and heated discourse, had an opposite outcome and helped conservative policy entrepreneurs formulate a ‘cultural wars’ narrative that prevented the inception of anti-whaling norm. The reason for this difference, I argue, lies in Japanese domestic political culture, which played a defining role in the success/fail of shaming strategies. For shaming to be successful then, careful understanding of the target society is essential

Commission · Norm (philosophy · Normative · Political science · Politics · Whaling · Arctic and Russian Policy Studies · Global Security and Public Health · History · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law

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