Dear SSJ Forum Members,

I am happy to announce the publication of my second (solely authored) book, which I have been researching off and on for a quarter of a century: Overcoming Isolationism: Japan's Leadership in East Asian Security Multilateralism (Stanford University Press's Studies in Asian Security). Below is a coupon for a 30% discount.

https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Isolationism-Leadership-Security-Multilateralism/dp/1503611698/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Paul+Midford+Overcoming&qid=1594735431&s=books&sr=1-1

30% discount code: CSFS2020
https://www.combinedacademic.co.uk/9781503611696/overcoming-isolationism/

Paul Midford
Director, NTNU Japan Program
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

Summary:
This book asks why, in the wake of the Cold War, Japan suddenly reversed years of steadfast opposition to security cooperation with its neighbors. Long isolated and opposed to multilateral agreements, Japan proposed East Asia's first multilateral security forum in the early 1990s, emerging as a regional leader. Overcoming Isolationism explores what led to this surprising about-face and offers a corrective to the misperception that Japan's security strategy is reactive to US pressure and unresponsive to its neighbors. Paul Midford draws on newly released official documents and extensive interviews to reveal a quarter century of Japanese leadership in promoting regional security cooperation. He demonstrates that Japan has a much more nuanced relationship with its neighbors and has played a more significant leadership role in shaping East Asian security than has previously been recognized.