Review by Choice Review
Maga (Bradley Univ.) studies twenty years of US-Japan relations during the 1960s and 1970s. He analyzes the changing patterns of the bilateral relationship by examining how the successive administrations in Washington, from the presidency of John F. Kennedy to Jimmy Carter, perceived and dealt with Japan. Through primary research, ranging from work in presidential archives across the US to interviews with former policy makers on both sides of the Pacific, Maga explains how the cultural misunderstanding and conflicting goals between the two nations concerning security and trade issues have affected their bilateral relationship. A weakness of this book is that it is not clear why the author limited his study to two decades and excluded the earlier decades of the postwar era since 1945. Except for a remark that the twenty-year period formally marked the reversal of fortunes between the two nations (decline in American economic power and the ascendancy of Japanese economic power), Maga does not offer a convincing argument for the selection of that period. This is a useful addition to the diplomatic history of one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world. Recommended for all levels. M. Itoh; University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
