China-Japan Relations in the Twenty-first Century

This book examines the often troubled relationship between Japan and China from a broad interdisciplinary perspective. Utilising the expertise of Chinese, Japanese and regional specialists working in a variety of fields, this original work approaches the contemporary sources of tensions between these two Asian giants from several levels of analysis. In particular the domestic-state interface in both countries and the important role of historical perceptions in the region are explored. "China-Japan Relations in the Twenty-first Century" avoids perceiving the discord between China and Japan simply from an international relations-based perspective, as has been the tendency of recent scholarly analysis. Rather, it strives to set the existing relationship in the context of historical interaction, the influence of culture on mutual perceptions, the role of ideologies - particularly nationalism - domestic political and economic changes that effect China and Japan's state-to-state perceptions and relations, and their changing regional and global relations. The book firmly emphasises the importance of history and historical memory in the construction of relations; a relationship constructed on present perceptions of the past that also shape expectations for the future. This is a unique and topical book, using the tensions of 2005 between China and Japan as the point of departure for a broad historical, political, cultural and international relations analysis. As such it will appeal to scholars at many levels of academe in the fields of Asian studies, international relations, regional studies and government.