Rationality and Relationality: A Socio-Cultural Perspective on Japan’s Strategy for Infrastructure Investment

ABSTRACT Since the 2010s, infrastructure investment has emerged as a critical field for Japan’s foreign policy and international relations. This article examines major characteristics of the development of Japan’s external engagement in infrastructure investment from a socio-cultural perspective. It argues that key political figures played a pivotal role in paving the way for Japan’s policy shift in infrastructure investment based on social relationality to engage in interactions to build trustworthy relationships. The article also contends that the Japanese government adopted confrontational and accommodating policy options towards China, which reflected inclusivity and complementation in the zhongyong dialectics. Moreover, Japan’s policy developments indicate that the logic of relationality, which is sustained by socio-cultural practices in East Asian societies, could explain crucial characteristics of diplomatic policies and relations among East Asian countries.