ABSTRACT
Chapter one lays out an overview of Japanese foreign policy in post-Soviet Central Asia with a particular focus on Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan from the viewpoint of diplomatic history, identifying key policy constituencies, and principal spheres of interaction. It concentrates on the governments formed by the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, especially those of Koizumi Jun’ichirō, Asō Tarō, and Abe Shinzō, and identifies critical junctures for Japanese involvement throughout the past two decades, contextualising it within Tokyo’s relations with Washington, Beijing, and Moscow. I also address the impact of foreign policies and domestic politics of Central Asian states on the overall relationship.
