North Korea Policy: Japan and the Great Powers

by Linus Hagström (Editor), Marie Söderberg (Editor)

Overview

North Korea features highly on the agenda of the main actors in East Asia and around the globe, and many large foreign policy initiatives have been undertaken since the structural constraints of the Cold War started to loosen in the early 1990s. The centrality of North Korea has been particularly emphasized by the country's suspected development of nuclear weapons which is regarded as one of the largest de-stabilising factors in the Asia-Pacific region.

This comprehensive book analyzes the formation of the North Korea policy in the context of great power relations in East Asia, specifically focusing on Japan's policy formation and 'the Japan factor' in the North Korea policies of other concerned great powers, namely the US, China, Russia, South Korea and the EU. By adopting an empirical focus on the international interaction over North Korea, this book brings together issues that are highly relevant to contemporary Japanese foreign policy; clarifies what is happening in the region right now and plots what policy options are available for the future. Policy-oriented and based on careful empirical analysis, North Korea Policy will appeal to both policy makers and scholars of Asian foreign policy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415546904
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/15/2009
Series:	European Institute of Japanese Studies East Asian Economics and Business Series
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Linus Hagström is Research Fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, Sweden.

Marie Söderberg is Associate Professor at the European Institute of Japanese Studies at Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Japan, the Great Powers, and the Coordination of North Korea Policy 1. Japan and the Recurrent Nuclear Crisis 2. The Rationales behind North Korean Foreign Policy 3. Seoul's Policy toward Pyongyang: Strategic Culture and the Negligibility of Japan 4. US North Korea Policy: The 'Japan Factor' 5. Chinese North Korea Policy: A Secondary Role for Japan 6. Russian North Korea Policy: Old Conflicts Obstacle for Russo-Japanese Cooperation 7. The EU's North Korea Policy: No Trace of Japanese Influence 8. Japan and Multilateralism in the North Korean Nuclear Crisis: Road Map or Dead End?

Editorial Reviews

'North Korea Policy provides a worthwhile contribution to the literature on both the issue of North Korea in East Asian international relations and on Japan's role in this issue. It brings together a wide range of perspectives and constructs an original approach to the topic.'- H.D.P. Envall, electronic journal of contemporary japanese studies , 2008

‘This book will be of especial interest to scholars and policy makers interested in Northeast Asian relations and foreign policy. Both will benefit form a better understanding of the relatively understudies issue of Japan’s influence on other powers’ foreign policy.’ Ramon Pacheco Pardo, East Asia, 2008

From the Publisher