Securing Japan : Tokyo's grand strategy and the future of East Asia / Richard J. Samuels.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 249-272) and index.

Introduction : understanding Japan's grand strategy -- 1. Japan's grand strategies : connecting the ideological dots -- 2. Baking the pacifist loaf -- 3. The change to change -- 4. Whither the Yoshida doctrine? -- 5. The discourse -- 6. The New threat environment -- 7. Meeting (and making) threats -- Conclusion : Japan's evolving grand strategy.

"Richard J. Samuels demonstrates that over the last decade, a revisionist group of Japanese policymakers has consolidated power. The Koizumi government of the early 2000s took bold steps to position Japan's military to play a global security role. It left its successor, the Abe government, to further define and legitimate Japan's new grand strategy, a project well under way - and vigorously contested both at home and in the region." "Securing Japan begins by tracing the history of Japan's grand strategy - from the Meiji rulers, who recognized the intimate connection between economic success and military advance, to the Konoye consensus that led to Japan's defeat in World War II and the postwar compact with the United States. Samuels shows how the ideological connections across these wars and agreements help explain today's debate. he then explores Japan's recent strategic choices, arguing that Japan will ultimately strike a balance between national strength and national autonomy, a position that will allow it to exist securely without being either too dependent on the United States or too vulnerable to threats from China."--BOOK JACKET.