Supposing the moral state: Japan and historical justice under liberal internationalism.

The article examines the persistent diplomatic tensions between Japan and the Republic of Korea over Japan's imperial history, particularly regarding military sexual slavery, within the context of the US-led post-1945 liberal international order. It argues that the "history problem" cannot be understood solely as a dispute over historical facts but must be analyzed in relation to Japan's ambiguous sovereignty as a semi-sovereign state under US hegemony, which complicates its capacity for moral agency and responsibility. The US-centered "hub-and-spokes" alliance system positions Japan as dependent on American power, limiting its autonomous state agency assumed by liberal internationalism's model of a sovereign moral actor. This dynamic creates an impasse in addressing historical justice, as calls for Japan to acknowledge responsibility presuppose a fully sovereign state, while Japan's postwar status reflects a "palimpsest" state that is simultaneously sovereign and constrained, highlighting broader challenges in reconciling justice and order in global politics.