Role theory provides a vital analytical framework for understanding national diplomatic behaviors and policies. When a state's self-perceived role perception and practices clash with external role expectations in the international system, it may face external pressures arising from this. To achieve stable national role and gain international recognition, states often use role transition as a method for foreign policy adjustment. Japan's diplomatic practice in “human security” reflects multiple roles, which evolve due to internal and external role expectations amid shifting international environment and domestic societal development. The national role has followed a progressive trajectory from a norm advocate, development aid provider, and “peacebuilder” to a values-driven diplomacy practitioner, aid-for-interest seeker, and comprehensive security pursuer. Facing the relative decline in economic strength, Japan is attempting to expand strategic space through “human security”, aiming to construct broader international cooperation frameworks to support its strategic objective of attaining “normal state” status.

From the perspective of the interaction between transnational structure and political party initiative, the pre-war(1920s—1940s)relationship between the Japanese Communist Party and the social democratic parties had five characteristics. First, the establishment of the JCP in 1922 preceded and stimulated the emergence of social democratic parties, deviating from the European model where communist parties split from left wings of social democratic parties. Second, the high pressure of the imperial system, the strategic discipline and localization pressure of the Comintern, and the “triple squeeze” of the militaristic fascist system have jointly shaped the narrow survival space and strategic choices of political parties. Third, the relationship between the Communist Party of Japan and social democratic parties presented a dynamic game of “anti-communism and united”, with fierce competition between the two sides in terms of ideology, organizational resources, and united front strategies, resulting in repeated defeats of the concept of a unified proletarian political party. Fourth, the brutal suppression by the Japanese government not only dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese Communist Party, but also forced social democratic parties(especially the right-wing)to gradually abandon socialist principles under fascist pressure, turn to “national socialism” and ultimately be engulfed by the New Order Movement, profoundly revealing the fragility of the reformist line under the rise of militarism. Fifth, the genealogy of the Communist Party of Japan and the three major social democratic parties, the pre-war mode of opposition, and core differences deeply influenced the complex relationship between the Communist Party and the Socialist Party after the war, which was both united and opposed.

Against the backdrop of intensifying global economic and political uncertainty, research on how Japanese enterprises navigate such disruptions to sustain overseas business performance remains limited. This study, drawing on data from Japanese enterprises operating in major global regions between 2007 and 2022, explores the impact of economic and political uncertainty on their overseas business performance, alongside the role of internal trade mechanisms within multinational corporations, to analyze the endogenous driving forces behind the sustainable growth of overseas business performance of Japanese enterprises. Findings indicate that economic and political uncertainty has a positive effect on the overseas business performance of Japanese enterprises. The core of this impact lies in the internal trade mechanisms within multinational corporations, which enhance firms' risk management capabilities, leading to stable growth in overseas performance. Unveiling the instrinsic mechanism of how economic and political uncertainty affects the overseas business performance of Japanese enterprises, and profoundly elucidating the strategic value of overseas invest menes by enterprises, can provide valuable insights for Chinese enterprises to enhance their risk response capabilities and sustainable deve lopment levels in global operation.

After the collapse of the bubble economy, Japan experienced the bankruptcy of small and medium-sized banks, which can be divided into three periods: the initial manifestation period, the rapid outbreak period, and the concentrated disposal period. Japan gradually formed measures to deal with problematic small and medium-sized banks, such as rescue-style mergers and acquisitions, early correction and early warning systems, which effectively alleviated the impact of the subprime mortgage crisis. The Japanese government also took measures to resolve the non-performing loans of small and medium-sized banks by strengthening the disclosure of non-performing loan information and improving the liquidity of non-performing loans through sorting out recovery agencies. Against the background of low interest rate spreads and an aging population, Japan's small and medium-sized banks continue to expand their sources of income, increase the scale and efficiency of their business operations, and build a local close-knit financial system to serve the needs of local social and economic development. Japan's experience has certain reference significance for promoting the risk disposal and transformation of China's small and medium-sized banks.

In a mass consumption society, the pervasive emphasis on the characterization of body among social members has spurred the production and popularity of anime character merchandise that is particularly pronounced in Japan, known as the “Kingdom of Characters”. It is precisely the close interaction and consumption practices between people and anime characters, including the characterized display and cosplay of the body, the aestheticization of the body, and the metaphor of body politics that make anime characters no longer mere the given images with functional and directional attributes but the symbolic complexes imbued with sociocultural identity characteristics and social value attributes. Consequently, anime characters as art images have become a form of social consciousness that reflects reality and life by shaping vivid and specific social representations, thereby serving as an important carrier for Japanese social ideology.

With the overall unemployment rate declining for a long time after WWII, Japan's youth unemployment has been particularly serious compared with other age groups since the “bubble economy” burst. There are both interpretations of the overall economic situation and theories based on Japan's employment structure regarding the causes of youth unemployment in Japan. Starting from the labor political movement in Japan, this article analyzes and discusses the emergence and evolution of youth unemployment in Japan. Through quantitative comparative analysis and evaluation of the youth unemployment situation in Japan, and relying on Okun's law to quantitatively test the relationship between the employment and unemployment situation of the Japanese youth group and its socioeconomic changes, the article interprets the various relief plans and effects of the Japanese government, and explores their policy design principles and inspirations for solving youth unemployment problems in China. Although due to differences in political and economic systems and social development levels, China cannot simply copy Japan's plan to address youth unemployment, research on the social, political, and economic issues caused by youth unemployment in Japan can still draw attention to similar problems in China. Analyzing its experiences and lessons can also provide China with ideas and policy alternatives to solve related problems.