"Kevin Cooney's study breaks new ground in examining the important question of whether and how Japan is becoming a "normal nation" in security matters. Academics and policy makers will find this book essential for understanding the direction Japan's foreign policy is taking in the 21st century. Dr. Sheldon Simon, Professor Dept. of Political Science at Arizona State University.""Professor Cooney's cogent analysis of the broadening of the policy making process in Japan provides fascinating answers on what Japanese foreign policy, in the hands of a younger, activist generation in the Japanese Diet, will look like in the near future and what this will mean for East Asia and the world. There is little doubt in my mind that this accessible and thought-provoking book will join the ranks of the best among the latest and most important works on Japanese diplomacy and international relations. Dr. See Seng Tan, Assistant Professor of International Security at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore."

• List of Figures List of Acronyms and Terms 1. The Story to be Told and the Puzzle to be Solved 2. The Story of Japan's Abnormal Foreign Policy Under Article Nine 3.Realism and Foreign Policy Restructuring Japan 4. Japan's Security Options 5. How Japan Views its Place in the World and The Myth of Gaiatsu 6.Where is Japan going? References Appendix A-D