Handbook of Japan's Foreign and Domestic Policies During the Decade of Abe

No Japanese leader has dominated Japan’s recent political landscape more than the late Abe Shinzo. With the this as the basic premise, the main objective of this compiled volume is to examine and assess Japan’s foreign and domestic polices during the 2010s, a decade which largely overlaps with Abe’s tenure as prime minister. This book is much more than a mere study of Abe’s leadership, however, as it ventures far beyond the traditional scope of diplomatic and political history by incorporating a multidisciplinary approach. As such, the contributors comprise not only historians and political scientists, but also sociologists, economists, legal experts, journalists, and practitioners of diplomacy. This diversity in backgrounds makes it possible to examine a much wider range of topics and themes that clearly illuminate the multitude of challenges that Japan faced in the decade as well as how it responded to those challenges, leading to a more thorough understanding of the path that Japan took in the 2010s.

About the Author

Tosh Minohara is a Professor of International Relations and Security Studies at the Graduate School of Law and Politics, Kobe University where he holds a joint appointment with the Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies. He is also the founder and chairman of the Japanese Cabinet Office-recognized nonprofit organization, Research Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs (RIIPA). He has been a lecturer at the Japan Self-Defense Force Command and Staff College for both the Japan Maritime and Air Self Defense Forces. In addition, he serves in the capacity as senior advisor to KREAB and external advisor to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His primary research focus is on the diplomatic, political, and security relations of US-Japan relations, both prewar and postwar. His major works include, Hainichiiminh. to Nichibeikankei [The Japanese exclusion act and US-Japan relations] (Iwanami Shoten, 2002) and Dait.ryo kara yomu Amerikashi [American history from the perspective of the presidents] (Daisanbunmei, 2023) among many others. His books have received the Shimizu Hiroshi Award and the Japan Research Prize.