Shame and Pride as Components of Japanese Youth's National Identity

Recent decades witnessed exponential growth of public’s interest towards the idea of national identity. The explanation for that lies in the absence of a robust system that would act as a divider of the globe into sovereign states within which specific nations exist, a system ever more vital in the state of globalisation society has reached today. The topic of national identity tends to conjure debates around states undergoing great social disruptions and thus the transformation of the national identity. In such a context, Japan serves as a fascinating example of a society where a metamorphosis of the national identity took place. Japan enables the research to dive deeper into the dimensions of traditional and modern, east and west, shame and pride. Thus, it is extremely important to study the national identity of Japanese youth. The factors determining the development of a national identity are many and it is a combination of those that plants the seeds for growth of a society ridden by shame or pride. Most importantly, the degree of such shame and pride regarding specific events in the past and present of Japan that determines the character and therefore identity of the society. Arguably, Japanese youth, specifically those pursuing higher education, will play a major role in the political future of Japan, thus the understanding of national identity, pride and shame that the Japanese youth apprehends will determine the policy of Japan in the region and in the world.