Awards

• Commended for One of Foreign Policy Interrupted's Best Books of 2015 2015

Overview

No country feels China's rise more deeply than Japan. Through intricate case studies of visits by Japanese politicians to the Yasukuni Shrine, conflicts over the boundaries of economic zones in the East China Sea, concerns about food safety, and strategies of island defense, Sheila A. Smith explores the policy issues testing the Japanese government as it tries to navigate its relationship with an advancing China. Smith finds that Japan's interactions with China extend far beyond the negotiations between diplomats and include a broad array of social actors intent on influencing the Sino-Japanese relationship. Some of the tensions complicating Japan's encounters with China, such as those surrounding the Yasukuni Shrine or territorial disputes, have deep roots in the postwar era, and political advocates seeking a stronger Japanese state organize themselves around these causes. Other tensions manifest themselves during the institutional and regulatory reform of maritime boundary and food safety issues. Smith scrutinizes the role of the Japanese government in coping with contention as China's influence grows and Japanese citizens demand more protection. Underlying the government's efforts is Japan's insecurity about its own capacity for change and its waning status as the leading economy in Asia. For many, China's rise means Japan's decline, and Smith suggests how Japan can maintain its regional and global clout as confidence in its postwar diplomatic and security approach diminishes.

Full Product Details

9780231167888

Table of Contents

Reviews

Authoritative and comprehensive. In an era of preoccupation with China's rise, scholars and policymakers are paying insufficient attention to the strategic decisions of those on China's periphery--decisions that will determine the nature of power transitions and whether they are peaceful or not. None is more important than China's historic maritime rival in Asia: Japan. -- Michael J. Green, Georgetown University This book by one of America's leading analysts of Japan's foreign relations is essential reading for anyone interested in Sino-Japanese relations and the impact of domestic political forces on foreign policy. -- Thomas J. Christensen, Princeton University In this study, Sheila A. Smith has availed herself of a massive number of documents and interview surveys and has traced concisely and persuasively the course whereby Japan has been compelled toward the reform of its conservative political system and its security arrangements, which were established with a view to maintaining Japan's position as a leader in Asia. This work suggests that the Japanese experience with China might serve as a lesson for other countries, the United States included, and is an essential read for those interested in the reconstitution of the East Asian order in light of the rise of China. -- Ryosei Kokubun, president, National Defense Academy of Japan Beautifully written and saturated with insights, Intimate Rivals is a scholarly and policy-relevant study of one of the most complex relationships in international relations today. -- Victor D. Cha, Georgetown University, and former director for Asian affairs, National Security Council This well-informed study explains, with admirable clarity, the increasingly involved and complex attitudes in Japanese domestic politics regarding China... A fine-grained analysis...Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly Intimate Rivals gives needed context to Japan and China's volatile relationship. Japan Times A strong academic work that's accessible to the lay person... This book is essential reading for anyone interested in Sino-Japanese relations and their impact on Japan. South China Morning Post Definitive South China Morning Post Opinion Intimate Rivals contains much sophisticated analysis and wisdom. Survival

Authoritative and comprehensive. In an era of preoccupation with China's rise, scholars and policymakers are paying insufficient attention to the strategic decisions of those on China's periphery--decisions that will determine the nature of power transitions and whether they are peaceful or not. None is more important than China's historic maritime rival in Asia: Japan. -- Michael J. Green, Georgetown University This book by one of America's leading analysts of Japan's foreign relations is essential reading for anyone interested in Sino-Japanese relations and the impact of domestic political forces on foreign policy. -- Thomas J. Christensen, Princeton University In this study, Sheila A. Smith has availed herself of a massive number of documents and interview surveys and has traced concisely and persuasively the course whereby Japan has been compelled toward the reform of its conservative political system and its security arrangements, which were established with a view to maintaining Japan's position as a leader in Asia. This work suggests that the Japanese experience with China might serve as a lesson for other countries, the United States included, and is an essential read for those interested in the reconstitution of the East Asian order in light of the rise of China. -- Ryosei Kokubun, president, National Defense Academy of Japan Beautifully written and saturated with insights, Intimate Rivals is a scholarly and policy-relevant study of one of the most complex relationships in international relations today. -- Victor D. Cha, Georgetown University, and former director for Asian affairs, National Security Council

This is an authoritative and comprehensive treatment of contemporary Sino-Japanese relations. In an era of preoccupation with China's rise, scholars and policymakers are paying insufficient attention to the strategic decisions of those on China's periphery -decisions that will determine the nature of power transitions and whether they are peaceful or not. None is more important than China's historic maritime rival in Asia -Japan. -- Michael J. Green, Georgetown University This book by one of America's leading analysts of Japan's foreign relations is essential reading for anyone interested in Sino-Japanese relations and the impact of domestic political forces on foreign policy. -- Thomas J. Christensen, Princeton University Foreign policy is an extension of domestic politics. This is common knowledge among students of international relations, but we must not overlook the fact that domestic politics is also an extension of foreign policy. In this study, Dr. Sheila A. Smith has availed herself of a massive amount of related documents and interview surveys and placed at the forefront China's sudden emergence and increasing self-assertion, and has traced concisely and persuasively the course whereby Japan has been compelled towards reform of its domestic conservative political system and security arrangements that were established in the post-WWII era with a view to maintaining Japan's position as a leader in Asia. This work suggests that the Japanese experience with China might serve as a future lesson for other countries, the United States included, and is an essential read for thinking about the reconstitution of the East Asian order in light of the rise of China. -- Ryosei KOKUBUN, President, National Defense Academy of Japan Beautifully written and saturated with insights by one of this nation's premier Japan scholars, Intimate Rivals is a scholarly and policy-relevant study of one of the most complex relationships in international relations today. -- Victor Cha, D.S. Song-KF Professor of Government and International Affairs and Director of Asian Studies at Georgetown University, and former Director for Asian Affairs, National Security Council, 2004 to 2007.

This is an authoritative and comprehensive treatment of contemporary Sino-Japanese relations. In an era of preoccupation with China's rise, scholars and policymakers are paying insufficient attention to the strategic decisions of those on China's periphery --decisions that will determine the nature of power transitions and whether they are peaceful or not. None is more important than China's historic maritime rival in Asia --Japan. -- Michael J. Green, Georgetown University

Author Information

Sheila A. Smith is senior fellow for Japan studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). She lives in Washington, D.C.

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