ABSTRACT
Part I and Chapter 3 above have pointed to the bilateral relationship with the US as the master key for unlocking the door to understanding the dominant pattern of Japan’s international relations in the post-war era. As the hegemon in the early Cold War and the dominant, if not hegemonic, power in the later Cold War and early post-Cold War years, the US has been able to shape generally the structure of the international system and embed US-sponsored norms in international society. It has done so more than any other state in the system by building on the legacy of the other early-starters as well as by meeting forcefully the challenges posed to the international and East Asian orders by a range of actors throughout these years, most notably those from the communist states.
