Japan in International Politics: The Foreign Policies of an Adaptive State - Hardcover

The 12 papers presented in this volume by Berger (international relations, Boston U., US), Mochizuki (Japan-US relations, George Washington U., US), and Tuschiyama (international politics, Aoyama Gakuin U., Japan) explore and analyze different issue areas of Japanese foreign policy. The volume begins with discussion of security policy and addresses the reinterpretation and possible revision of Article 9 of the Constitution (the "no war" clause), Japanese involvement in United Nations peacekeeping operations, and possible future involvement in multilateral military interventions. Economic issues discussed include Japan's international economic diplomacy, international financial relations, and response to the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. Issues of regional diplomacy are explored in chapters addressing Japan's collective memory of World War II in Asia, Japan's efforts to persuade the military junta of Burma to adopt democratic reforms, and Japanese relations with the Chinese. The volume concludes with a review of the foreign policy literature on whether Japan is a "reactive state" or a "strategic state." Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)