Japan's Foreign Policy Since 1945

This student-friendly text provides a detailed and up-to-date assessment of Japan's foreign policy since 1945, including policy options and choices that Japan faces in the twenty-first century. Using information based on interviews with policymakers in Japan, the author provides new insight into Japan's foreign policy options and analyzes the nation's evolving role in international affairs. The book begins with a brief overview of major issues related to Japan's foreign policy since the mid-nineteenth century, and then focuses on the direction of Japanese foreign policy from 1945 to the present. It examines issues such as Article Nine of the Japanese Constitution, national security needs, the way Japan views the world around it, the role of nationalism in setting policy, and the influence of big industry. It also includes material on Japan's response to 9/11 and the war in Iraq. Designed for both undergraduate and graduate level courses, the text includes Discussion Questions, maps, a detailed bibliography with suggestions for further reading, and an Appendix with the Japanese Constitution for easy reference.

Table of Contents:
Map: Disputed Kurile Islands/Northern Territories, Administrative Map of Japan Chapter 1. Introduction: The Story of Japan after World War II Chapter 2. The Legacy of the Occupation: An “Abnormal” Foreign Policy Chapter 3. The Gulf War Requires Change Chapter 4. Theoretically Speaking: Realism and Alternative Security Chapter 6. Planning for Japan’s Future Security Chapter 7. The “Myth” of Gaiatsu: How Japan Views Its Place in the World Chapter 8. Triangulating Politics: America, China, and Japan Chapter 9. Where Is Japan Going?

About the Author :
Kevin Cooney is an associate professor of political science and international relations at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. He received his B.A. degree summa cum laude from Oral Roberts University (1988). His M.A. was in international relations and strategic studies and comes from Lancaster University in England (1989), where he attended on a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Fellowship. He earned his Ph.D. in political science from Arizona State University (2000). His doctoral dissertation focused on the changes in Japanese foreign policy since the end of the Cold War. Dr. Cooney teaches courses in international relations, comparative governments, international security, Asian politics, terrorism, human rights, and democratization. He has taught previously at the university level in the People’s Republic of China, in Japan, at Western Oregon University, at Arizona State University, and at Grand Canyon University. He has also worked as an expert commentator for radio and television on American politics, international security, and East Asian affairs. Dr. Cooney’s first book, Japan’s Foreign Policy Maturation: A Quest for Normalcy, was published in 2002.