The Political History of Modern Japan

Abstract

Kitaoka Shinichi, a diplomatic historian and policy advisor who currently serves as the president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, has been a long-time advocate of raising Japan’s political profile and one of the leading intellectual forces behind Japan’s 2013 National Security Strategy. Before chairing a variety of advisory bodies responsible for overhauling Japan’s security regime under Abe Shinzō, Kitaoka updated an earlier textbook on modern Japan’s domestic and, to a lesser extent, international politics. The textbook was originally published in 1989 and updated in 2011. On the occasion of the monograph’s recent translation and publication under the auspices of the Japan Library, the author managed to add a chapter to the original version on the country’s former colonies and the legacy of its empire there. This book is a welcome addition to the growing number of general histories and university handbooks, because it adds a representative Japanese voice to...