ABSTRACT
Foreign policies of Japan are anchored in historical antecedents. The nation's self-imposed seclusion in the Tokugawa period, its expansion overseas in the pre-Second World War period and the post-Second World War policy of peaceful re-engagement with the outside world could all be understood as a well calculated response to the perceived changes in the political and/or economic climate at home and abroad. The first official indication that Japan might participate in UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) came during August 2000. Citing diplomatic sources, The Japan Times broke the news on 30 August 2000 through its front-page headline: 'UN asks Japan to dispatch troops. Prime Minister Mori's trip has another paradoxical feature. It was taken for granted by many at the time of his visit that the new Bush administration would have at best a lukewarm attitude towards Africa.
