It was meant to be a chance to escape the hustle and bustle of Tōkyō. Nicola was working hard as an English teacher in Japan; she desperately needed a holiday. A long weekend with her boyfriend, Akira, and two other friends, Mai and Masashi, seemed ideal. The four of them would travel by Japan's safest form of transport, the shinkansen ('bullet train'), before boarding a ferry for the trip across to the quiet island of Sado. However, Nicola and her friends could never imagine that they would become caught up in a hijacking. Why would someone want to hijack this train? How would Nicola and her friends respond to being on a hijacked train? Would the police be able to catch those responsible? Hijacking Japan follows events in a real-time format during a dramatic day that threatens to bring the Japanese government to its knees.

Japan faces significant challenges in both traditional and non-traditional areas of national security policy as the economic resurgence of China and the loss of US hegemonic clout significantly transform the strategic landscape of the Asia-Pacific region. How is Japan coping with this new global and regional politico-security environment? What strategic moves has it taken to best position itself for the future to maximize its global and regional influence? More importantly, how is Japan perceived within the region by traditionally close regional partners such as the US and Australia, by supporters in Southeast Asia, and by new competitors -- most prominently China and India? What international role do these nations wish Japan to play? In this comprehensive volume, these crucial questions are explored in-depth by a group of scholars both distinguished and diverse.

This two-volume set examines modern nation-state legislative, diplomatic, military, and non-military attempts to combat terrorism within and outside state borders. The articles which comprise this comprehensive reference work address counterterrorism efforts employed by the international community prior to and following the events of September 11, 2001. Global terrorism in the 21st century threatens the foundations of secular democracies and directly challenges global security thereby raising new and critical issues that transcend national borders. This two-volume reference carefully examines threats such as Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) terrorism, agro-environmental terrorism, and energy-related terrorism, and discusses technologies and strategies—such as the use of biometrics, data mining, information systems, psychological profiling, and terrorists rehabilitation efforts—to mitigate these threats. Counterterrorism: From the Cold War to the War on Terror provides an easy-to-read discussion of some of the principal issues involved in combating contemporary terrorism. Information is presented in non-technical language, making it appealing to the general reader as well as a solid reference for undergraduate college students and researchers. Following each article are references to other articles of interest and a comprehensive index facilitates access to specific subject material. The second volume includes a compilation of significant national and international treaties, laws, conventions, and protocols that have been implemented in an attempt to counter these ongoing threats to domestic and international security.

Conformist, mute and malleable? Andrews tackles head-on this absurd caricature of Japanese society in his fascinating history of its militant sub-cultures, radical societies and well-established traditions of dissent Following the March 2011 tsunami and Fukushima nuclear crisis, the media remarked with surprise on how thousands of demonstrators had flocked to the streets of Tokyo. But mass protest movements are nothing new in Japan and the post-war period experienced years of unrest and violence on both sides of the political spectrum: from demos to riots, strikes, campus occupations, faction infighting, assassinations and even international terrorism. This is the first comprehensive history in English of political radicalism and counterculture in Japan, as well as the artistic developments during this turbulent time. It chronicles the major events and movements from 1945 to the new flowering of protests and civil dissent in the wake of Fukushima. Introducing readers to often ignored aspects of Japanese society, it explores the fascinating ideologies and personalities on the Right and the Left, including the student movement, militant groups and communes. While some elements parallel developments in Europe and America, much of Japan's radical recent past (and present) is unique and offers valuable lessons for understanding the context to the new waves of anti-government protests the nation is currently witnessing.