A look behind the scenes of Japanese foreign policy. Review of the monograph by V.V. Nelidov “Foreign Policy Process in Post-War Japan”

Abstract

This article is a review of the book “Foreign Policy Process in Post-War Japan” by V.V. Nelidov, published in 2022 at the Institute of Oriental Studies. The specifics of the Japanese political system that has developed during the period of the monopoly rule of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 1955–1993, continues to influence the foreign policy decision making process, and this explains the relevance and practical significance of the monograph. V.V. Nelidov studies the time periods related to the adoption of crucial decisions that would have serious implications for the development of the postwar foreign policy of Japan as well as the formation of its current priorities. In situations that required a prompt response, the complex picture of the interaction of various domestic political forces and individual actors, the influence of external factors became most evident, and the vulnerabilities of the functioning of the state machine were revealed. The monograph by V.V. Nelidov is a valuable piece of research that will be of interest not only to academics and readers who study Japan, but also to those directly involved in formulating Russia’s foreign policy towards Japan.

Keywords

• japan
• ldp
• foreign policy
• security treaty
• usa
• china
• gulf war