Introduction

Abstract

Japan has normally focused its attention for economic purposes upon itself and then on Asia and chiefly South-East Asia, Australasia, North America, the Middle East and Western Europe, and for political and military purposes on South-East Asia and North America. Africa, South or Central America, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and now its successor states, have not been in the forefront of attention. Pace any change in Japan’s economic fortunes, that situation is likely to continue. Japan mainly imports raw materials, including oil and foodstuffs, which to a large extent are obtained from the first group of countries. South-East Asia has been seen as the region with which the Japanese should be the most closely associated, and North America and Western Europe as regions with which they wish to be compared or from which they can learn as regards economics, technology and science. The Soviet Union appeared primarily as a threat while Eastern Europe was neither a military threat nor a very useful economic partner.KeywordsEuropean UnionSuccessor StateFormer Soviet UnionGerman Democratic RepublicEast European CountryThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.