Author Description

In a detailed discourse analysis, it compares competing arguments offered by business circles, the military, the political and diplomatic elites, and intellectuals on Japan's regional strategy. This book advances the field of the history of Japan's diplomatic thinking, not only by addressing the issue of continuity and change in the discourse on Japan's relations with South East Asia, but also by demonstrating how this debate served to explore more fundamental questions about Japan's identity, its relations with Western nations and its stance on Asian solidarity.