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Normalizing Japan: Politics, Identity, and the Evolution of Security Practice (Studies in Asian Security)

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Their defeat at the hands of allied forces at the end of World War II brought dramatic changes in the politics and culture of Japan. One of the biggest changes was the abandonment of militarism as a driving social philosophy and a national security that was to be based upon cooperation with the American missile defense strategies of the Cold War era. The newest addition to the Stanford University Press 'Studies in Asian Security' series, "Normalizing Japan: Politics, Identity, and the Evolution of Security Practice" by Andrew L. Oros (Associate Professor of Political Science and International Studies, Washington College, Chestertown, Maryland) is a 304-page study that focuses upon the contemporary misgivings that Japan might be considering further national defense policy changes such as those already established such as their recent establishment of a Ministry of Defense and deployment of Japanese military elements to Iraq. A model of academic research, "Normalizing Japan" is enhanced with seven major appendices, extensive notes, a 29-page bibliography, and a comprehensive index, making it an invaluable and strongly recommended addition to academic library Contemporary International Studies reference collections in general, and Japanese Governmental Studies reading lists in particular.