Introduction

The objective of this book is to explore an often overlooked but remarkable process that has taken place over the last sixty years or so of international relations: the transformation of the relationship between Japan and Britain from bitter enemies to close friends. On the one hand, in seeking to examine the changes in this bilateral relationship since the Anglo-Japanese alliance of 1902-22, some have argued that, despite the bitter experiences of World War II, the two countries are in fact ‘natural’ allies that share an uncanny number of common characteristics. These rose-tinted characterizations stress the fact that:

… both are island nations with extended histories rooted in antiquity and mysticism; both possess royal or imperial families occupying a central role in the identities of the two nations and their historical development; both express misgivings towards the continents they border and in reaction have at various times proclaimed policies of isolation or dominance. It would appear from this perspective that no two nations in the world were more alike.