Japan's Strategic Challenges in a Changing Regional Environment

Japan faces significant challenges in both traditional and non-traditional areas of national security policy as the economic resurgence of China and the loss of US hegemonic clout significantly transform the strategic landscape of the Asia-Pacific region. How is Japan coping with this new global and regional politico-security environment? What strategic moves has it taken to best position itself for the future to maximize its global and regional influence? More importantly, how is Japan perceived within the region by traditionally close regional partners such as the US and Australia, by supporters in Southeast Asia, and by new competitors — most prominently China and India? What international role do these nations wish Japan to play? In this comprehensive volume, these crucial questions are explored in-depth by a group of scholars both distinguished and diverse.

Contents:

• Traditional Security:

• Japan's Strategic Options? (Katahara Eiichi)

  The US–Japan Alliance in the 21st Century: A Chinese Perspective (Wang Jian Wei)

  China and Japan: Hot Economics, Cold Politics? (Li Mingjiang)

  Japan's Strategic Response to North Korea: Activistic Security Policy, Eroding Pacifism (Kim Sung Chull)

  A 'United' Community in a Divided Region: Southeast Asia, Japan, China, and East Asian Community (Pavin Chachavalpongpun)

  India and Japan: Sharing Strategic Interests? (Arpita Mathur)

  Australia and Japan: Toward a Full Security Partnership? (David Walton)

• Non-Traditional Security:

• Japan's Human Security and Peace-building: Between Aspirations and Limitations (Lam Peng Er)

  Piracy and Maritime Security: Japan's Strategic Challenges (Sam Bateman)

  Japan and the G8/G20: A Global/Regional Strategy in Financial Governance (Joel Rathus)

  The Triple Disaster and Japan's Energy and Climate Change Policies (Purnendra Jain)

  Rethinking Security in Japan: In Search of a Post-'Postwar' Narrative (Satoh Haruko)

Readership: Advanced undergraduate and graduate students of Japanese foreign relations and East Asian security; researchers interested in comparative security perspectives.
Key Features:

• Deals with Japan's traditional and non-traditional strategic issues
• Up-to-date analysis with new materials (G-20, human security, energy and climate change issues in the wake of the March 2011 triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear radioactivity in Japan)