Overview
Japan has a long history of being isolated from multilateral diplomacy. With its increasing economic power, Japan has become more concerned with external foreign relations and hence more involved in multilateral diplomacy. This coherent and interrelated collection of the important issues is contributed to by prominent Japanese and Western scholars and analyses the emergence of Japan in multilateral fora from the historical, domestic and international perspectives. Those concerned with international relations will find this text a useful guide for courses and research.Synopsis
Despite its historical isolation from multilateral diplomacy, Japan's increasing concern with external foreign relations parallels its economic power. These 11 contributions, based on a 1998 conference in Geneva, focus on Japan's multilateralism at both the global and regional levels. The first set of essays offer theoretical examinations from the perspectives of regime theory, the UN role in international security, and a European view on "omnilateralism." A couple of papers then treat the global dimension of political economy and security. Next, the role of the new Eurasian actors in regional multilateral arrangements such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe are discussed. Lastly, Japanese pacifism and attitudes toward the UN, and future prospects are considered. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)