Nationalism and Power Politics in Japan's Relations with China

This book systematically explores the complex dynamics that shape contemporary Japanese-Chinese relations, and in particular, analyses the so-called ‘revival’ of nationalism in post-Cold War Japan and its impact on the atmosphere of the bilateral relationship. Further, by adopting a neoclassical realist model of state behaviour and preferences, Lai Yew Meng examines two highly visible bilateral case studies to explore whether nationalism really matters; when, and under what circumstances nationalism becomes most salient; and the extent to which the emotional and/or instrumental dimensions of nationalism manifest most profoundly in Japanese state-elites’ policy decision-making.