Japan's Foreign Policy, 1945-2009: The Quest for a Proactive Policy

Ambassador Togo s distinctive account of Japanese foreign policy highlights the impact of the vacuum left by the humiliation of defeat in 1945. It bears witness to the intellectual and diplomatic challenge of finding answers to unresolved issues, including managing the U.S. alliance and enhancing cooperation in Asia. Updated to cover the results of the 2009 victory of the Democratic Party of Japan, this book shows how its change of course fits into a long-term narrative. In contrast to more impersonal, often unsympathetic analysis of Western authors and the self-serving writing of many Japanese, Togo offers a guide to Japan s quest, not a defense of its choices. The result is a wide-ranging look at foreign policy over more than 60 years seen from the perspective of an insider attentive to a proud nation s search for its bearings.