JAPAN'S FOREIGN POLICY: HISTORY AND MODERNITY. Training manual. Ed. by E. V. Molodyakova, Moscow: Eastern Literature, 2008, 320 p.

The peer-reviewed book is the first educational publication in our country dedicated specifically to the history and modernity of Japan's foreign policy. As a long-term teacher of regional studies and one of the authors of the textbook " History of Japan "(Moscow, 1982), I can only welcome the appearance of this manual, the need for which has been felt for the educational process for many years. The book is compiled on the basis of the educational and methodological complex on regional studies published by MGIMO(U) Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in 2004, and corresponds to the program under the same name, authored by Professor E. V. Molodyakova. So, at the conceptual level, the publication has been successfully tested in practice, and participation in the author's team of leading Russian Japanese scholars is a guarantee of high quality of the work done.

However, the value of a peer-reviewed book goes beyond the educational process and beyond the walls of university classrooms. For the first time, the Russian reader has received a concise, informative, verified and at the same time comprehensive and publicly accessible publication on the foreign policy of our Far Eastern neighbor, which will be useful not only for teachers, students or postgraduates, but also for any interested reader as a necessary introduction to this problem. Of course, the control questions and references placed at the end of each chapter are primarily focused on the learning process. They will help you highlight the main thing in what you read and tell you which literature to turn to. Of course, in the book, taking into account its tasks, only the main and most accessible publications for further study are indicated, but it is

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they allow the beginner to take the next necessary step in mastering the material.

Before considering the contents of the book under review in detail, I will tell you about its methodology. Although 12 authors took part in writing the book, it is designed in a single stylistic and methodological way, which is an essential requirement for educational literature. The achievement of this result is an absolute merit of the responsible editor, who has achieved the necessary integrity of the book, and not only its high scientific level. Different authors have different approaches to problems, but they all have a common basis. What is the methodology of this publication based on and why can it be called fully consistent with the current level of scientific knowledge development?

I have already reviewed the monograph " History of Japan. XX century", written by V. E. Molodyakov, E. V. Molodyakova and S. B. Markarian 3. These two publications are brought together not only by a common authorship, but also by a common methodology: they are focused on the most complete (within the allotted volume) and objective presentation of facts and identification of a cause-and-effect relationship between them in the absence of a predetermined ideological dominant, which is mandatory for research and, especially, popular propaganda literature of the Soviet era. The authors of the manual do not "denounce", "criticize" or "justify" anyone. At the same time, they do not shy away from evaluating certain events ( otherwise it would be a reference book), but motivate them and point out the presence of different points of view on events, for example, on the refusal of the USSR to join the San Francisco Peace Treaty with Japan in 1951.

Chapter 1 "Japan and the surrounding world: contacts from antiquity to the" discovery " of the country in 1853 "(authors - L. B. Karelova and S. V. Chugrov) is devoted to what usually falls out of books on the history of Japanese foreign policy. Indeed, Japan at that time did not have a foreign policy in the modern sense as a single system of relations with the outside world, and there was no "diplomacy" as a single system of measures to implement these relations. But there were contacts with the outside world, and the experience of these contacts influenced not only the national psychology and culture of the Japanese, but also their foreign policy and diplomacy. The author makes a well-reasoned case for the inconsistency of popular ideas (it would be more accurate to call them stereotypes) about the complete self-isolation of Japan during the "closure of the country", especially with regard to contacts with China, which, as a rule, fall out of the field of view of even scientists-historians, not to mention students.

Chapter 2, " Shaping Japan's Foreign Policy after the Meiji Restoration "(authored by K. G. Vinogradov) examines the emergence and development of modern Japanese diplomacy as a response to the challenge of the "great powers" who "discovered" Japan and imposed unequal treaties on it. Interesting observations of the author about how Japan learned to build its foreign policy according to the European models of the imperialist era in order to get a chance to join the "club of great powers". However, in this chapter we would like to see a more detailed account of how and under whose influence the concepts of foreign policy and a new vision of the world were formed in Japan, and how the Japanese diplomatic service was created (a separate chapter is devoted to its current state).

Chapters 3 "On the way to the" club of Great Powers "(1895-1922) "and 4" Between the two Wars (1923-1945) "(author - V. E. Molodyakov) are devoted to what used to be called " diplomacy of Japanese imperialism (militarism)", i.e. the country's foreign policy activities in 1894 - 1945, from the beginning of the war with China - the first war of modern Japan, to the end of the Second World War in Asia. Japan's actions during this period are still the subject of lively discussions in many countries, which often take on a politically biased character. The author, who has devoted several monographs to this problem, not only has an excellent command of the material, but also presents the facts with constant objectivity, fundamentally refraining from the "black-and-white" assessments that are mandatory in the past. Perhaps this approach will seem unusual to some readers who are waiting for a clear, unambiguous answer on the principle of "who is right, who is wrong", for example, on the question of responsibility for the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese war or the war in the Pacific. However, in my opinion, this approach is most suitable for a textbook.

Chapters 5, "The San Francisco System and the Rise of Japanese Diplomacy," and 6, "Japan-U.S. Relations," by M. G. Nosov, are so interlinked that they can be discussed in detail.-

3 See: Oriens. 2009. N 3. pp. 190-193.

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look at it as a whole. The United States was the main, in fact, even the only, creator of the San Francisco system, which, in addition to the peace treaty of the same name, was based on the Security Treaty and the Administrative Agreement between the United States and Japan. For almost 60 years, the US-Japan military alliance has remained the cornerstone of Japanese diplomacy and one of the most important factors in world politics in Asia. I would like to note the author's highly pragmatic, businesslike tone in presenting the material, which disposes to emotional assessments, since the actions of the United States in the international arena leave few people indifferent.

These same qualities distinguish Chapter 7, "Relations between the USSR and Russia". and Japan after the Second World War" (author-S. V. Chugrov). Given that the book under review was published with the financial support of the Japanese Foundation (unfortunately, there were no domestic sponsors to prepare and publish such an essential book), the author and editor in this case had a special responsibility. I must say that the author successfully coped with his task, thoroughly and carefully presenting the subject, essence and course of the territorial dispute between our countries, initiated by Japan with the direct support of the United States, and giving in general terms the arguments of the parties (a detailed presentation would take more than one volume). As for publicistic appeals and incantations in favor of one or the other side, dear to the heart of "professional patriots", they have no place in the textbook. Let me note, however, that the assessment of Stalin's decision to demand the transfer of the Kuril Islands to the USSR as "erroneous" (p.121, 125) seems controversial. The question should be put more broadly-about the assessment of Stalin's decision to go to war against Japan, but this is beyond the scope of the book and this review.

In chapter 8, " Japan's Foreign Policy in East Asia after the end of the Cold War "(author-M. I. Krupyanko), it is stated that Japanese foreign policy in East Asia is traditionally one of the priority areas of Tokyo's diplomatic activity. The author refers to Japan's relations with China, North Korea, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan, which Tokyo is in no hurry to abandon, despite Beijing's constant dissatisfaction. He rightly points out that the role of the American factor in Japanese-Chinese relations is not positive, to put it mildly, but, in my opinion, the dynamics of diplomatic warming and cooling in the Washington-Tokyo-Beijing triangle should be more associated with the dynamics of difficult economic relations between these countries. The painful issue of relations between Tokyo and Pyongyang, whose policy is still a source of "headache" for its neighbors, is thoroughly and objectively covered.

Chapters 9 "Japan's Policy in the Asia-Pacific Region" and 11 "Japanese Diplomacy and Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa" (authored by N. V. Stapran) focus on the main events of the last two decades, which is fully justified by the significant growth of the Asia-Pacific region's influence in world politics. More should be said about Japan's difficult but successful "return" to Asia after World War II, which can be attributed to the undoubted success of its diplomacy. At the same time, in its relations with Latin American countries, Japan clearly did not use the existing potential, including in the form of a large Japanese diaspora, which could become a conduit for Japanese influence and a promising consumer of Japanese goods, since it was mainly about trade and economic relations. Readers will find a lot of new information in the section on Japanese diplomacy in Africa, since this issue is practically not covered in the domestic literature.

A great success of the book is chapter 10 " Japan's relations with the countries of Western Europe "(author-E. V. Molodyakova). Until recently, this topic was ignored by experts for unknown reasons. The author does not so much sum up many years of experience on this problem, but rather outlines ways for its further study. 150 years ago, Europe "discovered" Japan, and then became its rival in the struggle for dominance in Asia. This rivalry, culminating in the Second World War, kept them apart for a long time. And now Japan is once again in the position of "discovering" Europe, not only in the field of politics and economics, but also in the field of culture, as in the Meiji era.

The first five chapters of the book under review, which cover the end of the occupation of Japan in 1952, are written in a general chronological manner, while the next six are devoted to the regional directions of Japan's foreign policy. The final four chapters are problematic.

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Chapter 12 " Japan and International Security Issues "(author: O. A. Dobrinskaya) deals with a relatively new problem for Japanese diplomacy - the country's participation in the system of ensuring international security. As you know, the post-war "peaceful" constitution deprived Japan of the right to wage war and to own armed forces, but if it does well without the former, then no country can do without an army. It is in the sphere of defense and international security that the contrast between Japan's status as an "economic giant" and a "political dwarf" is particularly visible, which attracted criticism during the military conflict in the Persian Gulf in 1991.The author also examines the main directions of Japan's defense policy, which is inextricably linked with its international activities.

Chapter 13, "Official development assistance - the most important tool of Japan's foreign policy" (author - D. V. Streltsov) clearly and convincingly shows that Japan's prestige in the modern world is largely based on the system of "official development assistance" (ODA). Military and political expansion before the Second World War and economic expansion after the war strengthened the country's position in the world, but caused general antipathy, which had to be compensated. Japan's ODA has generally fulfilled this mission, pursuing humanitarian goals and excluding the possibility of using aid "for military purposes or to escalate international conflicts" (p. 259), as stated in the National Charter of ODA adopted in 1992. the book under review is not specifically reviewed. The latter fact can be attributed to the few shortcomings of the peer-reviewed publication.

Cultural diplomacy has become increasingly important in Japan's foreign policy in recent years, along with ODA. Chapter 14 " Cultural Diplomacy of Japan "(by A. E. Kulanov) It is not limited to the events of recent decades. It traces the dynamics of modeling the "image of Japan" in the outside world, which dates back to the 1860s, which is a welcome development. As a recent trend, the author rightly noted the desire of Japanese image makers to actively focus on the values and tastes of the younger generation, which belongs to the future. The popularization of Noh theater, ikebana, and the tea ceremony has not disappeared anywhere - just the promotion of manga and anime has joined it.

The final 15th chapter of the book " The Diplomatic Service of Japan "(author-A.V. Ilyshev) It is dedicated to the modern Japanese diplomatic service, as it became in the early 1950s, when Japan regained its independence and returned to the international arena. The diplomatic service, designed to perform state tasks in the field of foreign policy of the country, is subject to the general laws and principles adopted in the field of public service, although it certainly has its own specifics, distinctive features and features related to the subject of its activities. Like the previous chapters, this chapter is informative in content, but I would like to see a detailed historical aspect in it. The peer-reviewed textbook is called "History and Modernity", but there is no" history " in this chapter at all, as if Japan has conducted its foreign policy for many decades without foreign service.

The book concludes with a carefully compiled chronology of the main events of Japanese history (author: N. V. Stapran).

To summarize. Before us is a high-quality and useful book, from which the official words "textbook"should not scare away. It is useful not only for teachers and students, but also for a wide range of people who value proven information and objective analysis. At a time when academic works hardly find their way to the reader, and the market is clogged with near - scientific and pseudo-publicistic literature, the appearance of such a book is an important and gratifying fact.

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