Negotiating with imperialism : the unequal treaties and the culture of Japanese diplomacy /

Auslin (Yale Univ.) has produced the first monographic study to examine diplomatic relations between Japan and the West during the critical years of 1858 to 1872, through the prism of Japan's negotiating strategy and tactics. In this major reexamination of the "opening of Japan," Auslin makes a strong, compelling argument that Japan was not a passive victim of the West's coercive "gunboat" diplomacy, but was an active player that used its own agenda and negotiating style to shape the scope and content of its treaties with Western imperialist powers. Thus, the so-called "unequal treaties" were not forced on a weak Japan but were the positive products of Japanese diplomats seeking to defend Japan's national interests as best they could. Auslin demonstrates for the first time that the legacy of late Tokugawa diplomacy was a positive one: a successful negotiating strategy against overwhelming odds, a large cadre of experienced diplomats, and a West that had developed a respectful attitude not mirrored in its relations with other Asian countries. This is an important book that reads very well. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. M. D. Ericson University of Maryland University College