A breakthrough into the political mainstream seems unlikely for Japan's green political parties. Increasing concern about the environment has yet to manifest itself in a fashion similar to the rise of Green parties in Europe. For Japan the well-oiled party machines of the established political groupings continue to dominate the social networks that are crucial for electoral success. Lam Peng-Er examines the strengths and organization of Japan's greenest party NET (The Network Movement) as well as the older parties such as the LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) and JCP (Japan Communist Party) he...

The essays in this collection examine Sino-Japanese political relations given the phenomenon of 'a rising China and a stagnating Japan'. Questioning whether their relationship is one of cooperation or conflict, the book reviews China and Japan's bilateral ties to see whether they have deepened and broadened despite differences in outlook, national interest and political systems.

Adding a new perspective to the Sino-Japanese political relations discussion, the book looks beyond the interactions of central governments to examine the role of NGOs, local governments and sub-regional...

The Fukuda Doctrine has been the official blueprint to Japan's foreign policy towards Southeast Asia since 1977. This book examines the Fukuda Doctrine in the context of Japan-Southeast Asia relations, and discusses the possibility of a non-realist approach in the imagining and conduct of international relations in East Asia.

The collapse of 54 years of Liberal Democratic Party rule and the advent of a new Democratic Party of Japan raises the question of whether the Fukuda Doctrine is still relevant as a framework to analyse Tokyo's policy and behaviour towards Southeast Asia....