In the twentieth century Japan emerged as one of the world’s leading economic powers: rising from wartime destruction to a leading economic engine in world markets. Japan’s economic aid policy, beginning with war reparations following its defeat in World War II, became a vehicle to help achieve this economic success. As the country continued to flourish, economic aid also became a means of expanding the country’s influence in an era of increasing globalization, providing an alternative strategy for helping developing nations escape the traps of poverty: a strategy drawn from its own experience of reemergence. And as we stand at the beginning of a new century, Japanese aid policy may also serve as a potential model for other nations who are on the cusp of entering high-income status and the group of elite world donors: a model that in many ways lies in contrast to policies espoused by other advanced Western nations. The book Japan’s Aid examines the strengths and weaknesses of Japanese aid policy in all of these dimensions: in fostering economic growth in both its own economic success story and in the numerous countries to which it has served as the single largest bilateral donor over many years; and as a policy that other nations might emulate. Through a combination of insightful case studies and rigorous econometric investigation, the book presents a comprehensive examination of the pros and cons of Japan’s aid.

The Courteous Power seeks to provide a nuanced view of the current relationship between Japan and Southeast Asia. Much of the current scholarship on East–Southeast Asian engagement has focused on the multidimensional chess game playing out between China and Japan, as the dominant post-imperialist powers. Alternatively, there has been renewed attention on ASEAN and other Southeast Asian–centered initiatives, explicitly minimizing the influence of East Asia in the region. Given the urgency of understanding the careful balance in the Indo-Pacific region, this volume brings together scholars to examine the history and current engagement from a variety of perspectives, ranging from economic and political, to the cultural and technological, while also focusing more clearly on the specific relationship between the region and Japan.