Interpersonal Relationships in the 1996–1997 Japanese Embassy Hostage Crisis in Peru: A View from Relational Development Theory

Abstract This paper applies relational development theory to the Japanese embassy hostage crisis that took place in Lima, Peru (from December 1996 to April 1997). During the hostage crisis, members of the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA), a Peruvian terrorist organization, stormed the Japanese embassy in Lima and took hundreds of people hostage. They presented their demands to the Peruvian government in exchange for the safety of the hostages. Developed by Mark L. Knapp, the theory describes how interactants—e.g., couples, negotiators, and so forth—go through relationship stages to strengthen their interpersonal communication or social bond. In this conceptual analysis, two important relationships are explored: (1) The relationship between the MRTA and the hostages and (2) the relationship between the MRTA and the Peruvian government (including President Fujimori). Overall, the authors of this analysis found that the MRTA-hostage relationship was ultimately more favorable than the Fujimori-MRTA relationship.