International Law and Japanese Sovereignty

Douglas Howland is the Buck Professor of Chinese History at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA. He is the author of four books and co-editor (with Luise White) of The State of Sovereignty: Territories, Laws, Populations (2009).

"This fascinating book challenges us to reexamine the 'standard of civilization' thesis that lies at the heart of the rise of the modern international order. Could China and other non-Western nations have avoided humiliation and defeat at the hands of Western Powers had they followed Japan's steps in using rather than rejecting available instruments of international law to establish their sovereignty?"- Amitav Acharya, UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance and Professor, School of International Service, American University, USA "Howland's book is impressive in the width and breath of his treatment of state practice and of the sources he uses. His comprehensive treatment leads to an especially rich narrative about the confrontation between the West and the periphery and its role in the formation of modern international law."- Randall Lesaffer, Professor, Law School and Department for Public Law, Jurisprudence and Legal History, Tilburg University, the Netherlands "Howland knows well current understandings of global political history, but by focusing on how leaders and diplomats, broadly defined, used law, he provides solid empirical work to show how our current understanding of the rise and formation of the international, especially in East Asia, desperately needs revision."- Stefan Tanaka, Professor of Communication and Director, Center for the Humanities Education, University of California, San Diego, USA

• 1. International Legal Grounds for State Sovereignty2. The Family of Nations and Conflict of Laws3. Territorial Sovereignty and Extraterritorial Privilege4. The Alternative Order of International Administration5. Mastering the International Laws of War6. Japan Among the Great Powers