The Japanese Question: Power and Purpose in a New Era

An essential and clear-eyed reassessment of postwar Japan's evolving role on the world stage, where noted Japan scholar Kenneth Pyle traces the arc from the Yoshida Doctrine and Cold War alignment to the rise of Japanese political nationalism, the Yasuhiro Nakasone era, and the fault lines exposed by the Gulf War, offering a timely lens on Japanese politics, collective security, and Japan's shifting strategic identity in Asia and international affairs.

In this update of the 1992 edition, the author describes the emergence of Japan's new Asian strategy since the Cold War and the dilemmas it poses for American policymakers.

Kenneth Pyle is a professor of history and Asian studies at the University of Washington.