ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on key concepts covered in the preceding chapters in the book. The book focuses on Sino-Japanese competition as a primary feature of the region, shedding light on an often overlooked dynamic in East Asia to help explain the region's changing security landscape. It highlights the rivalrous dynamic between China and Japan over a broad set of issues that, in turn, shape regional relations. The nature of Sino-Japanese rivalry is intuitively obvious to scholars of East Asia, but difficult to define with precision. The book collectively places the defined boundaries around an appropriate research agenda for Sino-Japanese rivalry by specifying its critical time period, its geography, attribution of agency, and what it implies for great power penetration of Asia. The book also highlights Japan's ability to influence Chinese policy, threat perception, and behaviour. It examines the regional and sub-regional factors that drive Asia's security environment instead of framing Asian security as contingent on US–China relations.
