Masanori Kikuchi (Washington University in St. Louis), “Legacies of Atomic Bombings on Foreign Policy Attitudes in Japan”

U.S. ET: February 27 (Thursday), 8 – 9 PM

JST: February 28 (Friday), 10 – 11 AM

Zoom Registration: Link

Paper is available here.

Authors: Masanori Kikuchi (Washington University in St. Louis)

Abstract:
What are the consequences of extreme violence during inter-state war on citizens’ long-term political attitudes and values? While scholars have identified prolonged effects of violence exposure on public opinion towards in-group and out-group members, we understand less about how violence shapes broader views about war itself. I theorize that victimization from large-scale violence can have a lasting effect on
support for citizens’ dovish foreign policy views, as it leads them to view war itself as immoral, and that these beliefs are passed down to subsequent generations through various familial-, community-, and national-level channels. Focusing on the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II as a key case, I conducted an original survey across contemporary Japan to examine the expectations. The analysis provides robust evidence that individuals with channels to the victimized communities strongly oppose nuclear weapons, hold dovish foreign policy views, and see war as immoral. The findings highlight how traumatic wartime violence shapes long-term foreign policy attitudes, showcasing both the influence and limitations of family and community in transmitting political attitudes across generations. 

Presenter: Masanori Kikuchi (Washington University in St. Louis)

Discussants: James Dongjin Kim (University of Washington) and Atsushi Yamagishi (Hitotsubashi University)

Chair: Saori Katada (University of Southern California)