A common sight seen throughout Japan these days are signs that read Ganbaro Nippon (translated "Don't give up Japan").
It has become the battle cry among Japanese for dealing with the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake-triggered disasters. In a country united by shared grief and suffering, it is a plea by Japanese for Japanese to struggle together through the difficulties.
Yet, this focus on shared pain carries with it a potentially negative consequence for Japan's foreign engagement. The Japanese people's singular focus on domestic recovery — which can best be termed "Disaster Nationalism" — has the potential of constraining the political elite's ability to promote new foreign policy initiatives.