JAPAN AND ITS EAST ASIAN NEIGHBORS: From the Past to the Future   by Marius B. Jansen June 1999, 192 x 134 mm, 153 pp., 1,700- This book is a translated collection of lectures by U.S. historian Marius B. Jansen, a prominent Japanologist, in four parts - a trilogy of lectures: “Japan and its East Asian Neighbors - Okinawa: Disarmed and Armed, Korea: Unknown Neighbor, and China: From War to Peace”, and the keynote lecture “Japan and Its World” at the 1994 Kyoto Council for Japan Studies. The first three lectures were originally prepared for the lecture meeting of the International Foundation for Cultural & Educational Exchange (The Ishizaka Foundation) in 1996, but were never presented owing to the circumstances that prevented the author from visiting Japan. These lectures have now been presented in book form. Consistent throughout Jansen's research is acute sensibility allowing him to examine history not from the perspective of a simple doctrine, but rather from long-term, comparative perspectives to achieve a balance between the whole and the parts. Another characteristic of his works are a subtle and skillful reconstruction of the outline of the whole by linking points to form lines and make connections within the enormous current of history, all informed by a profound knowledge and his own technique enabling Jansen to breathe life into the people that dot the landscape of history, whether major actors or nameless extras, and recreate them as real, three-dimensional characters. This book is no exception. Jansen takes the reader back to the beginning of the 17th century to examine the relations between Japan and Okinawa, the Korean Peninsula, and China, and in doing so also describes the meeting of Japan and the West, bringing into relief aspects of history often overlooked by many Japanese. He also provides a detached appraisal of Japan's past and present relationships with its East Asian neighbors, and presents suggestions for the types of relationships that should be forged in the future. This work is truly a work of profound historical insight by a scholar who has consistently been a leader in the field of Japanese studies. Contents   Preface   Chapter 1: Okinawa; Disarmed and Armed   Chapter 2: Korea: Unknown Neighbor   Chapter 3: China: From War to Peace   Chapter 4: Japan and Its World   Footnotes   Afterword About the Author Born in the Netherlands in 1922. Emigrated with his family the following year to the United States. Graduated from Princeton University in 1943. Received a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1950. Professor at Princeton University 1960 -1992. During this period, he was also a central figure in Japanese studies in the U.S., and served as chairman of the Asia Society in the U.S.. Major publications: Sakamoto Ryoma and the Meiji Restoration (Princeton University Press, 1961); Japan and Its World: Two Centuries of Change (Princeton University Press, 1982). Readership: General Readers