Purnendra Jain is adjunct professor of Japanese studies at the University of Adelaide.Lam Peng Er is senior research fellow at the East Asian Institute of the National University of Singapore.

This collection of essays makes a persuasive case that Japanese policy, since the beginning of this century, is a story of important changes made while retaining continuity with the foreign policy strategy of the preceding decades. No less importantly, it introduces the reader to an international group of astute scholars and policy analysts with impressive insights about Japanese politics and foreign policy and its evolving role in the international system.

• Introduction: More Changes; More ContinuityPart I: “Three Pillars” of Japanese Foreign Policy: Member of the West, an Asian Country and UN-CentrismThe Japan-US Alliance in the 21st Century: Indispensability of US Extended DeterrenceJapan and Western Europe: From Post-war Acrimonious Conflict to Comprehensive Collaboration Tokyo’s Quest for a United Nations Security Council Permanent Seat Japanese Foreign Policy as an “Asian” Country Part II: Domestic Sources of Japanese Foreign PolicyKantei Diplomacy Under the Abe AdministrationMuch Ado about a Constitution“Opposition” in Power and their Foreign Policies 2009-2012: Legacy of DPJ through Policy ComparisonPart III: Japanese Diplomacy Old and New: PolicyTokyo’s Defense and Security Policy: Continuity and ChangeAddressing Territorial Disputes with Neighboring Countries: Continuity and Change from a Japanese Perspective Japan’s Foreign Aid: Continuity and Change Japan’s Human Security and Peacebuilding in the 21st Century Japan and the Governance of Global Fisheries Part IV: Japanese Diplomacy Old and New: Regional EngagementJapan’s Quest for an Autonomous Role in East Asian Regionalism: Strengthening its US Alliance and Balancing China’s Rise From Cautiously Reactive to Eagerly Proactive: Japan’s Policy Towards Southeast Asia Japan-India Relations: Bilateral, Regional and Global Contexts Japan’s Value-Oriented and Resource Diplomacy in Central Asia: Before and After Belt and Road Japan’s Africa Engagement