Nationalistic Populism in Democratic Countries of East Asia

Abstract

This paper explains the background of political situations in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. It finds out how much globalization and International structural changes after the end of the Cold War affected this region. These two elements forced these countries to change their political systems and ideologies. The 'populistic and nationalistic phenomenon is a result of these big changes starting in the 1990s. It is never just a temporal situation caused by some 'evil' political leaders. It is an irreversible structural change which has deep roots in fundamental changes in international society. This phenomenon is not just limited to this region, and it does not mean that peoples have given up being rationalistic about their own 'interests' by the attractive messages of the 'populistic and nationalistic leaders. However, under the situation where the politicians have to rely on their own popularity for support, the politics have to be short-sighted. In the globalizing world, the nationalistic messages sometimes have a bad influence on national sentiments. The influence may remain for a long time even after the people of the country forget it.