The first book-length study to examine the re-writing of school textbooks by the Japanese Education Ministry in an attempt to play down atrocities in China during World War II. The famous textbook crisis in 1982 was at the centre of a diplomatic storm extending through the 1980s as Sino-Japanese relations were beset by a series of political controversies. This fascinating account of the period reveals that Chinese and Japanese policy-makers were more concerned with changes taking place in international and domestic politics than with adopting a correct view of history.

This is the first major English-language study to explore the broad and longstanding connections between Japan’s national security and the safety of its sea lanes. Tracing issues from pre-and post-1945 eras, the book explores how Japan’s concerns with sea lane protection have developed across such diverse fields as military strategy, diplomacy, trade policy, energy security, and law enforcement. Drawing upon case study material and primary research including interviews with officials and security analysts, the book presents a chronological analysis of Japan’s sea lane security. While Japan’s security policies have recently undergone relatively rapid change, a historical treatment of sea lane security issues reveals long-term continuity in security policymakers’ perceptions and responses regarding Japan's defence and foreign policy. Revealing a neglected but important aspect of Japan’s military and economic security, the book investigates why officials and analysts continue to portray the defence of Japan’s sea lanes as ‘a matter of life and death’.

Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- List of abbreviations -- List of persons -- Introduction -- Part I The foundations of U.S.-Japan security arrangements -- 1 The Kennedy-Reischauer line, 1961-1963 -- 2 The Vietnam War and the U.S.-Japan alliance, 1964-1968 -- Part II Secrecy in the U.S.-Japan alliance -- 3 U.S. foreign policy formulation -- 4 Japanese foreign policy formulation -- 5 U.S.-Japan negotiations -- 6 The November 1969 U.S.-Japan summit -- Part III Where is Japan heading? -- 7 Japan's defense build-up -- 8 Impact of U.S. rapprochement with China on the U.S.-Japan alliance -- 9 The U.S.-Japan defense cooperation -- Conclusion -- Selected bibliography -- Index

This book describes the reassessment of the U.S.-Japan security relationship to determine how Japan can do more for its defense, reduce America's spending for Japan's and Asia's security, yet preserve the peace in that region. It raises six questions about the relationship and tries to answer them.