Introduction

Next year will mark the 30th anniversary since the first Fukuda Doctrine. It is not that I am thinking of anything new, or a revised version (of the Doctrine). That said, there have been major changes since those days. Asia has changed significantly over the past three decades. Asia has become a far greater center of growth compared to 30 years ago. China also is rising rapidly. India also will likely grow significantly. Building on all these, Japan’s Asia diplomacy needs to change qualitatively, so with that in mind we have to think about Japan’s Asia diplomacy ahead. ¹