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.

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 Matu[1]ration: A Quest for Normalcy, was published in 2002.

Reviews
"Kevin Cooney's Japanese Foreign Policy Since 1945 is a masterful overview of Japan's evolving role on the world stage from supine defeat at the end of World War II, through the U.S. occupation and on to becoming America's strongest Asian ally. The book's most important contribution is its forward projection which foresees Japan's new foreign policy and security roles in the 21st century with a more independent military and Constitutional changes that will permit more global security action. Professor Cooney expects Japanese society to be more open to foreign influence, and he sees a new security agenda that will encompass environmental concerns, international peacekeeping, and disaster relief. These new responsibilities will go far to remake Japan into a 'normal nation.'" - Sheldon W. Simon, Arizona State University"



Book Information
ISBN 9780765616494
Author Kevin J. Cooney
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 453g