This paper presents a study of Japan's international role with a special focus on its historical evolution. To that end, the following three pillars lay the necessary theoretical foundations: one, the notions of historical and political identity and a discussion of the ambivalent shapes they have taken in Japan; two, the regional context, an examination of Japan's situation with respect to Asian history as a whole, and finally, the "civilian power" concept as defined by Hanns W. Maull.

Introduction Acknowledgments A Note on the Text Chapter 1. Theoretical Introduction 1.1 Identity Debate 1.2 Civilian power concept 1.3 Japan in the context of Asian history 1.4 A Few Remarks about Methodology Chapter 2. Japan's Indentity Dilemma 2.1 Introduction 2.2 The dichotomy of self / other in identity formation 2.3 Datsuaron, Integrationism and other Asianist Movements Chapter 3. Historical Survey of the Evolution of Japan's Role in the World 3.1 Introduction: Japan Between China and the West 3.2 The Meiji Revolution and its aftermath 3.3 Counter-movement to the Westernization of the early Meiji decades 3.4 Japan in Transition: Rise from low-profile to international acceptance 3.5 Militarism and its disastrous consequences 3.6 Occupation and Reconstruction 3.7 Japan's first cautious steps as an independent state 3.8 Japan's rise as an economic power 3.9 Japan's first diplomatic steps in the 1970s 3.10 Balancing between Economics and Politics 3.11 The End of the Cold War and its Implications for Japan's Diplomacy 3.12 Japan's Role in Multilateral Organizations 3.12.1 Japan in the UN Framework 3.12.2 Japan in Other Multilateral Organizations Chapter 4. Survey of the Contemporary Japanese Political Debate on Foreign Policy 4.1 A Survey of Perspectives in the Japanese Political 4.1.1 Introductory Remarks 4.1.2 Different Perspectives on Japan's Foreign Policy 4.1.2.1 Advocates of Maintaining the Status Quo 4.1.2.2 Independentists 4.1.2.3 Pragmatic Multilateralists 4.1.2.4 Pacifists 4.2 Evaluation 4.2.1 Evaluating the compatibility of Different Perspectives with regard to the Civilian Power concept Chapter.5 Conclusion 5.1 General concluding remarks 5.2 Interpretation of results gained in the Survey of Different Perspectives on Japan's Foreign Policy in the 1990s 5.3 Future Scenarios for Japan's international role 5.4 Summary Footnotes Selected Biography Abbreviations