Japan's new global role /

Lincoln (Foreign Policy Studies Program, Brookings Institution), author of two earlier books on Japan, has written a perceptive and balanced study, with much food for thought for both sides of the Pacific. He sees important potential contributions from Japan in new international bodies and in humanitarian aid. The author criticizes Japan's current economic preoccupation in the international area as deterring this nation from exercising a wider role there. He points to structural obstacles in Japanese politics and business, its economic dependence on other nations, and problems with Japanese foreign direct investments, personnel career paths, and inadequate human commitment to international programs and organizations, and in particular to the economic, military, and policy dependence on the US. The author provides clear and positive advice on how Japan should face the next half century of change. The book is firmly based on an intimate knowledge of Japan, clear analytical reasoning, and impartial judgment. The volume has no separate bibliography, but the source notes are good, and many are on publications in Japanese. The statistical information is up-to-date, well explained, and useful. Highly recommended for general interested readers as well as experts. B. Mieczkowski; Ithaca College