Refugees, Women, and Weapons : International Norm Adoption and Compliance in Japan

In a world dominated by considerations of material and security threats, Japan provides a fascinating case for why, and under what conditions, a state would choose to adopt international norms and laws that are seemingly in direct conflict with its domestic norms. Approaching compliance from within a constructivist framework, author Petrice R. Flowers analyzes three treaties--addressing refugee policy, women's employment, and the use of land mines--that Japan has adopted. Refugees, Women, and Weapons probes how international relations and domestic politics both play a role in constructing state identity, and how state identity in turn influences compliance. Flowers argues that, although state desire for legitimacy is a key factor in norm adoption, to achieve anything other than a low level of compliance requires strong domestic advocacy. She offers a comprehensive theoretical model that tests the explanatory power of two understudied factors: the strength of nonstate actors and the degree to which international and domestic norms conflict. Flowers evaluates how these factors, typically studied and analyzed individually, interact and affect one another In a world dominated by considerations of material and security threats, Japan provides a case for why, and under what conditions, a state would choose to adopt international norms and laws that are seemingly in direct conflict with its domestic norms. Approaching compliance from within a constructivist framework, this book analyses three treaties - addressing refugee policy, women's employment, and the use of land mines - that Japan has adopted Refugees, Women, and Weapons examines the role of domestic advocates, state identity and domestic norms in Japan's counterintuitive adoption of and compliance with three treatiesrelated to women's rights, refugee protection, and land mineswhose international normative framework conflict with Japan's domestic norms Introduction Adoption, implementation, and compliance Refugees, identity and foreignness in Japan Gender equality and women's employment Strategic pacifism Conclusion.