ABSTRACT
Japan’s International Relations has been written on the premise that, not only does Japan matter, as asserted in the Preface, but also it can, and needs to be, explained. To this end, this book has presented a comprehensive understanding of the role of the Japanese state and its people in the Cold War and post-Cold War periods through an examination of Japan’s involvement in the three key dimensions (politics, economic and security) and the four key sites (the US, East Asia, Europe and global institutions) of its international relations. As a result, Japan’s appearance as a major player on the world stage during the post-World War II era has been traced and the most significant issues it has faced in the post-Cold War period have been evaluated with reference to a number of explanatory variables-the structure of the international system, agency in the policy-making process, and embedded and emerging norms. In this way, Japan has been explained and, as a result, no longer presents itself as anomalous or abnormal. This constitutes the contribution, both theoretical and empirical, that Japan’s International Relations makes to the literature.
