Susanne Klien 
Rethinking Japan“s Identity and International Role [PDF ebook] 
Tradition and Change in Japan’s Foreign Policy

This paper presents a study of Japan“s international role with a special focus on its historical evolution. To that end, the following three pillars lay the necessary theoretical foundations: one, the notions of historical and political identity and a discussion of the ambivalent shapes they have taken in Japan; two, the regional context, an examination of Japan“s situation with respect to Asian history as a whole, and finally, the ‚civilian power‘ concept as defined by Hanns W. Maull.