Japanese Foreign Policy at the Crossroads - by Yutaka Kawashima (Paperback)

About the Book

The post-World War II paradigm that ensured security and prosperity for the Japanese people has lost much of its effectiveness. The current generation has become increasingly resentful of the prolonged economic stagnation and feels a sense of drif...

Book Synopsis

The post-World War II paradigm that ensured security and prosperity for the Japanese people has lost much of its effectiveness. The current generation has become increasingly resentful of the prolonged economic stagnation and feels a sense of drift and uncertainty about the future of Japan's foreign policy. In J apanese Foreign Policy at the Crossroads, Yutaka Kawashima clarifies some of the defining parameters of Japan's past foreign policy and examines the challenges it currently faces, including the quagmire on the Korean Peninsula, the future of the U.S.-Japan alliance, the management of Japan-China relations, and Japan's relation with Southeast Asia. Kawashima--who, as vice minister of foreign affairs, was Japan's highest-ranking foreign service official--cautions Japan against attempts to ensure its own security and well-being outside of an international framework. He believes it is crucial that Japan work with as many like-minded countries as possible to construct a regional and international order based on shared interests and shared values. In an era of globalization, he cautions, such efforts will be crucial to maintaining global world order and ensuring civilized interaction among all states.

Review Quotes

"A first-rate examination of the foreign policy challenges facing Japan. Yutaka Kawashima clarifies the defining parameters of Japan's past foreign policy and shares his vision for a new and proactive approach to international affairs." --Michael H. Armacost, "Shorenstein Distinguished Fellow, Institute for International Studies, Stanford University"

"A polished, thoughtful book on the policy changes Japan should make to confront the post-Cold War world and the new configuration of forces in East Asia...The wisdom with which Kawashima analyzes past decisions lends credibility to his future policy recommendations: a more proactive Japanese foreign policy more in line with the standard policies of other major powers." -- "Foreign Affairs", 5/1/2004

"His life-long experiences in foreign affairs have made him uniquely qualified to talk about Japan's foreign policy." --Manwoo Lee, Millersville University, "Asian Affairs, an American Review", 4/15/2005

"I have not seen a more succinct articulate presentation of the logic of Japanese foreign policy. One of Japan's leading diplomats, Kawashima draws on his service in most of the key regions of the world and personal involvement in the most crucial foreign policy issues of recent decades. Fresh, candid, thoughtful." --Ezra F. Vogel, Henry Ford II Research Professor, Harvard University

"Kawashima's book on Japanese foreign policy offers a comprehensive survey of the island state's relations with other countries and explores salient paradigms that governed its postwar diplomacy." --Susanne Klien, Halle-Wittenberg University, "H-Net Reviews in the Humanities & Social Sciences", 4/1/2006

"Rarely does a Japanese diplomat of such stature and experience write in English about his country's foreign policy in a comprehensive manner. By doing just that, Mr. Yutaka Kawashima provides an illuminating glimpse into the strategic thinking that probably prevails today in Japan's Foreign Ministry. Especially useful is his analysis of Japan's challenges and options regarding the United States and East Asia." --Mike Mochizuki, Director, Sigur Center for Asian Studies, George Washington University

"This book merits careful reading by anyone interested in the rationales and emphases dominant in Japan's postwar foreign policy, and in how those positions will or will not be adapted to the world of international terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and a 'rising China.'" --Davis B. Bobrow, University of Pittsburg, "Pacific Affairs: Volume 77, No. 4", 12/15/2004

About the Author

Yutaka Kawashima served as Japanese vice minister of foreign affairs from 1999 to 2001. He served as ambassador to Israel from 1997 to 1999. After his retirement he did research as a distinguished visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution's Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies and he taught at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He is widely respected in international policy circles and has served in Asia, Europe, and the United States.