This timely book examines new developments in Japan-China relations and new research conducted in Japan, China and elsewhere since 2006. The book covers major issues such as the September 2010 Chinese fishing boat collision incident, cross-Strait relations, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, and China's suspension of rare earth exports to Japan. It explores a variety of theoretical understandings of the Sino-Japanese relationship, namely relationship management, domestic politics, national identities and coevolution.

3 From Asian financial crisis to Jiang Zemin's visit to Japan -- 4 Development of multilateral diplomacy and increase of frictions -- 6 Japan-China relations at the start of the twenty-first century: the rocky path to a strategic mutually beneficial relationship -- 1 From start of the Koizumi administration to start of the Hu Jintao administration -- 2 Yasukuni visit problem and anti-Japanese protests -- 3 Formation, development, and limits of strategic mutually beneficial relations -- 4 Japan-China GDP trading places and Senkaku Islands -- 7 The current state of Japan-China relations: navigating a fragile relationship -- 1 Start of new administrations and stagnation of Japan-China relations -- 2 Political bargaining over Japan-China summit at Beijing APEC -- 3 Japan-China relations 70 years after the war's end -- Guide to further reading in English -- Chronology of key events -- Index -- Index of names

A Financial Times “Summer Books” Selection “Will become required reading.” —Times Literary Supplement “Elegantly written...with a confidence that comes from decades of deep research on the topic, illustrating how influence and power have waxed and waned between the two countries.” —Rana Mitter, Financial Times China and Japan have cultural and political connections that stretch back fifteen hundred years, but today their relationship is strained. China’s military buildup deeply worries Japan, while Japan’s brutal occupation of China in World War II remains an open wound. In recent years both countries have insisted that the other side must openly address the flashpoints of the past before relations can improve. Boldly tackling the most contentious chapters in this long and tangled relationship, Ezra Vogel uses the tools of a master historian to examine key turning points in Sino–Japanese history. Gracefully pivoting from past to present, he argues that for the sake of a stable world order, these two Asian giants must reset their relationship. “A sweeping, often fascinating, account...Impressively researched and smoothly written.” —Japan Times “Vogel uses the powerful lens of the past to frame contemporary Chinese–Japanese relations...[He] suggests that over the centuries—across both the imperial and the modern eras—friction has always dominated their relations.” —Sheila A. Smith, Foreign Affairs

This important collection analyses the changing context of China's relationship with Japan. Its eminent international contributors address core issues including strategic concerns; security; the issue of Taiwan; diplomacy; economic relations; trade; the role of firms and currency. The book brings together a wide range of perspectives to offer a rich and varied understanding of one of Asia's most crucial and complex relationships.

This book examines the often troubled relationship between Japan and China from a broad interdisciplinary perspective. Utilising the expertise of Chinese, Japanese and regional specialists working in a variety of fields, this original work approaches the contemporary sources of tensions between these two Asian giants from several levels of analysis. In particular the domestic-state interface in both countries and the important role of historical perceptions in the region are explored.

From before the dawn of recorded history, there has been a rich flow of interaction between Japan and China. Japan has long learned many things from Chinese civilization, and since the modern era China began to learn from Japan. In the twenty-first century, however, China surpassed Japan in terms of GDP in 2010 to become the world's second largest economy. Amid this rapid rise of China and what has been called a power-shift in Japan-China relations, there are signs that bilateral tensions are rising and that the image each country has of the other is worsening. This volume provides a cogent analysis of the politics of the bilateral relationship in the modern era, explaining the past, present, and future of Japan-China relations during a time of massive political, social, and economic changes. Written by a team of internationally renowned Japanese scholars and based on sources not available in English, this book is essential reading for students and scholars of Japan-China relations, Japanese international relations, and the politics and international relations of East Asia

Soft power has tended to be overlooked in the field of international relations, often dismissed as lacking relevance or robustness as a theoretical concept. This book seeks to expand upon the idea of ‘soft power’ in international relations and to investigate how it actually functions by looking at three case studies in Japan-China relations during the post-war period. These cases involve the action of Japan’s soft power in China due to the activities of agents at three levels in society: the state level (an agency of the central government), the sub-state level (a local government), and at the non-state level (a non-governmental organisation). In addition, a major theme of the book is to examine the role of important international actors whose roles are not covered sufficiently in international relations discourse. Utpal Vyas demonstrates ways in which soft power is a useful analytical tool to understand relations between China and Japan in the early 2000s. The case studies help to reveal the complexities of interaction between China and Japan beyond the usual state-level analyses and offer a valuable resource for the study of Sino-Japanese relations and IR in general. This book will be of interest to academics and postgraduate students in Japanese studies, Chinese studies and International Relations.