Can Patriotism Be Distinguished from Nationalism?
Empirical Evidence Concerning Japanese National Identityand Its Ideological SignificanceMinoru Karasawa, Saori Tsukamoto, & Ryu HakcheNagoya University

mkarasawa@nagoya-u.jp

Aichi Gakuin University

Neo Career Co. Ltd.

Supported by JSPS KAKENHI 18H01078

Empirical findings, mainly from “Western” nations, indicate that
PATRIOTISM and NATIONALISM can be distinguished both conceptuallyand empirically (e.g., Germany: Blank & Schmidt (2003), Mummenday, Klink, & Brown (2001);
Israel: Roccas, Klar, & Liviatan (2006); New Zealand: Osborne, Milojev, & Sibley (2017);
Turkey/Czech Repub.: Balabanis, Diamantopoulos, Mueller, & Melewar (2001); U.S.: Kosterman &Feshbach(1989), Schatz et al. Staub, & Lavine (1999)). In addition, INTERNATIONALISM

is often found to be a distinct factor.
Karasawa (2002) revealed a separate factor unique to Japanese citizens,i.e., the COMMITMENT TO NATIONAL HERITAGE. Attitudes toward
national symbols (e.g., flag and anthem) and historical/cultural heritage
emerged as a distinct factor separate from nationalism and patriotism.
The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the same
factor structure can be found even among the current Japanese people.
We also aimed to reveal the ideological associations between each factor
of national identity and attitudes involving ideological viewpoints.
METHOD
Participants 705 Japanese citizens with an age range between 20 and 69(50.1% Female, M age = 47.93, SD = 10.73).
Survey period February, 2017
Measures 23-item short version of National Identity Scale (Karasawa,2002) ◆ Self identified position of “conservative” vs. “liberal” concerningsocial, economic, and political domains. ◆ Attitudinal ratings involving
ideological debates such as gender equality, inclusion/exclusion ofimmigrants, military defense, nuclear power, and environmental protection.
◆ Demographic variables including gender, age, annual householdincome, and the size of the residential area (3 levels).
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
・ The 4-factor structure was almost unchanged since 20 years ago.
・ Multiple regression analyses revealed that national identity, particularly
CNH and INT, contributed to attitudes concerning ideological issues, evenmore strongly than self-identified ideological positions. This suggests adifficulty in applying the Western notion of “liberal vs. conservative” tocountries with different historical/cultural backgrounds.

Factor 1
Hearing anthem,strongly moved

.89
-.64

Flag waving,
I feel great.85

COMMITMENT
TO NATIONALHERITAGE

Childrenstanding up forflag & anthem.39

Desirable toworship temples& shrines

Factor 2
JPN should havebiggest say inAsia

.82
.70

JPN economicsuperiority.72

NATIONALISM
Supremacy &Dominance

JPN people finest
in the world.70

Nation’s growth
due to excellenceof people

Factor 3
Don’t want to livein foreign country

I love JPN

.60
.72

If born again,
want to be
Japanese

Table 1. Standardized Regression Coefficients (β） from Multiple Regression
Analyses of Ideological Attitudes.

.77

PATRIOTISM
Loving theCountry.82

Prefer living in
JPN even paying
more

Factor 4
JPN should share
wealth withsuffering countries

Should open
door to foreigners

.54

.70
INTERNATIONALISM-.54
Poverty is theirproblem, not ours

Positive values represent associations with conservative attitudes.
*p < .05. **p < .01.

-.47
No foreign aids, ifcosting our interest

Figure 1. Factor loadings (maximum-likelihood
estimation, promax rotation) of representative
items heavily loading on Commitment toNational Heritage as a unique factor ofJapanese national identity, and on Nationalism,Patriotism, and Internationalism as relatively
universal factors.