ABSTRACT
In office for more than seven years, Abe set the agenda for a decade of transformation that would transform Japan into a “normal country,” alert to external threats, ready to defend itself, and with tightened security ties to others. In the first part of the decade, history and security together signaled a transformation was under way. In the second period, Abe refocused on foreign threats and a regional agenda to counter them. Finally, in the third, post-Abe period, the entire range of “normal power” behavior entered the picture, especially economic security. Illusions of accommodating an aggressive Russia, proceeding without South Korea, and even pursuing an increasingly hegemonic China independent of the United States ebbed in this environment. As the country faced rising threats from North Korea, China, and Russia, the challenge of establishing Japan as a global power shifted to military and economic security. The Japan–US relationship was transformed as were bilateral ties to India, Australia, and others. Clarity was found on what the Japanese had long called “reentry to Asia” accompanying a “security opening to Europe.” This book takes a panoramic view, year-by-year, of Japan’s decade-long transformation, a process that required far-sighted leadership, decisive crisis management, and unprecedented coordination with like-minded states.
