ABSTRACT
The most salient feature of Japanese domestic management has been its preoccupation with internal equilibrium. The cumulative value of the government bonds reached more than one-third of Japan's gross domestic product. The fundamental characteristics of Japanese-American relations are the uneasiness and uncertainty inherent in the bilateral relationship and the competitive pattern of Japanese-American economic relations. As Japan begins to articulate its roles and responsibilities as a full-fledged member of the world community, increasing consideration is being given to the direction of its foreign policy. In discussing Japan's foreign policy background, a distinction should be made between the quarter-century following World War II and the period since the early 1970s. In discussing the background of Japan's present-day foreign policy, one should note that Japan's basic preoccupations prior to the 1970s concentrated on domestic economics and politics. The government showed primary concern for intricate matrices of economic, political, and military aspects of global transformations.
