ABSTRACT
Chapter two investigates the partisan dimension of Japanese foreign policymaking. Here, I examine the impact made by the cabinets of the Democratic Party of Japan in 2009–12 on the course of Japanese foreign policy vis-à-vis Central Asia as compared to their Liberal Democratic Party predecessors and successors. I discuss personal and factional factors and changes in foreign policy priorities, thus explaining Tokyo’s inertia and Central Asia’s lower priority on the DPJ governments’ diplomatic agenda. While showcasing certain instances of creative approaches demonstrated by the DPJ, I also trace their continuity with the LDP in terms of pragmatism and resource diplomacy.
