ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book reviews and analyzes the background and pattern of relations within the four-power system, and discusses the geopolitical setting and important links between Northeast and Southeast Asia. It deals with the vital process of economic expansion in East Asia and Japan's central role, and discusses the general background of Japan's foreign policy, with special emphasis on its domestic political background. The book provides an analysis of Japan's fast-changing relationship with China, and also analyzes Japan's relationship with the Soviet Union, so important because of the Soviet Union's expanding power and role in East Asia and the Pacific region. It describes Japanese-American relations, focusing on economic and security concerns, and explains a central theme of the whole story—the discussions within Japan about its changing international role.
