ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the implications of domestic political changes for the future conduct of Japanese foreign policy. These analyses are basic to any examination of the Japanese role in East Asian stability. The United States and Japan are positioned very delicately with respect to the Taiwan issue, and there is every reason to believe that better coordination among them would contribute to East Asian stability. A strengthened relationship with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) would contribute immensely to the deepening of mutual trust between Japan and the PRC, providing improved conditions for East Asian stability. The government approach to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is most welcome and should be pursued even more actively in the future. The rise of a new nationalism in Japan and the US move to revise its Asian policy are only two ingredients that complicate the situation.
