Limits to Power
Asymmetric Dependence and Japanese Foreign Aid Policy
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Lexington Books
Published:29th Apr '03
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Why does the Japanese government often alter its course of action under pressure from the United States, even when doing so apparently undermines Japan's own interests? Japan's marked responsiveness to U.S. preferences regarding foreign aid policy appears counterintuitive, since Japan's demonstrated capability to donate funds rivals and has previously surpassed that of the U.S. In Limits to Power, Akitoshi Miyashita posits that Japan's deference to the will of the U.S. results from Japan's continuing role as the more dependent partner in the two countries' interdependent diplomatic and economic relationship. Miyashita critically reviews the existing literature on Japanese foreign aid, then tests his own argument against five case studies. After analyzing critical junctures in Japan's history of foreign aid to China, Vietnam, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, he concludes that Japan's consistent sway under U.S. opinion reflects an act of will on Japan's part, rather than a lack of coherent policy stemming from bureaucratic politics. Limits to Power boldly challenges current arguments that Japan has successfully distanced itself from "reactive" politics.
Miyashita operates in a realist world and sets the research question in the broader context of Japan's rise in the interstate hierarchy over the past few decades. He reminds us that Japan has not truly escaped its asymmetric dependence on the United States. The analytic precision that is brought to bear allows this study to eclipse other work in this area. -- Akio Watanabe, University of Tokyo (Emeritus)
Through a series of vivid case studies of Japanese foreign aid policy, Miyashita shows how the primacy of Japan's American connection often drives Japanese policy in directions the Japanese government, other things being equal, would prefer not to go. Miyashita's well-argued point is that other things are not equal and that it is Japan's asymmetric dependence on the United States that makes it a soft target for gaiatsu, the effective application of American pressure on Japan's foreign aid policy. Miyashita has written an interesting and important book. -- Gerald Curtis, Professor of Political Science, Columbia University
This is a very useful addition to the literature on Japanese foreign aid policy. The book, well-written and forcefully argued, takes us beyond the more traditional way of looking at Japanese foreign aid. . ..At the same time, it is not a book just about foreign aid; it also addresses why Japan is sensitive to American pressure. * Pacific Affairs *
Miyashita challenges a number of preexisting conclusions about Japanese aid policy and he provides an excellent case in support of alternative explanations. In doing so, he adds considerably to our understanding of Japanese politics and Japanese foreignpolicy. -- T. J. Pempel, Director, Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley
Miyashita challenges a number of preexisting conclusions about Japanese aid policy and he provides an excellent case in support of alternative explanations. In doing so, he adds considerably to our understanding of Japanese politics and Japanese foreign policy. -- T. J. Pempel, Director, Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley
ISBN: 9780739106020
Dimensions: 231mm x 160mm x 23mm
Weight: 494g
242 pages