Japan and the War on Terror: Military Force and Political Pressure in the US-Japanese Alliance

(Hardback)

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The role of the Far East is becoming increasingly important in global geopolitics. Japan's economic might and sphere of geographical influence, between China, North Korea and the US, means it has the potential to be a major ally in the war on terror. While Japan's constitution does not allow for militarism or acts of war, in the post 9/11 world the use of the Japanese nation's 'Self-Defence Force' has become increasingly normal - a result of the exploitation of legal loopholes and political double-speak that has been used to bypass Japan's pacifist ideology. Here, Michael Penn assesses the role of US diplomats and lobbyists in Tokyo, the politicians who see the war on terror as a means of self-advancement and the influence of Washington in the unprecedented deployment of Japanese troops in Iraq. Written using a huge range of primary source material, including interviews with US insiders and Japanese policy makers, this is a scholarly and lucid account of Japan's relationship to the US and the Middle East from 9/11 to Barack Obama and the death of Osama Bin Laden.

Reviews

'Michael Penn's important study of Japan's response to the War on Terror, including diplomatic, financial and military support for the US in Iraq, appears at a critical moment in the emergence of new conflicts in the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. Drawing on the close study of Japanese and US official and journalist sources, Japan and the War on Terror offers new light on the changing trajectory of Japanese politics, US-Japan relations and Japan's role in East Asia, the Middle East and globally.' Mark Selden, Senior Research Associate in the East Asia Program at Cornell University and Emeritus Professor of History and Sociology at Binghamton University

Author Bio

Michael Penn is a journalist and scholar based in Japan. He is Senior Fellow at the Asia Policy Point in Washington DC, an editor at the Pan Orient News and the director of the Shingetsu Institute which is aimed at enabling dialogue between the Middle East and Japan.