‘Japan’s Open Future' - New Book by Anthem Press

[Anthem Press]

‘Japan’s Open Future: An Agenda for Global Citizenship’ by John Haffner, Tomas Casas Klett and Jean-Pierre Lehmann
ISBN: 9781843313113; List Price: £18.99 / $29.95
Available for sale at a discount on www.amazon.co.uk or www.amazon.com.

For many decades Japan enjoyed great success with its export-oriented economy and the outsourcing of its foreign policy to the United States under the US security umbrella. Its role in the world was simple, and times were good. But times have changed: with the end of the Cold War, the collapse of its bubble economy, a shrinking domestic population, global instabilities after 9-11, the rise of China, and other seismic shifts, Japan now faces a much more complicated world. In this groundbreaking and provocative discussion, three foreigners who have lived and worked in Japan – a Canadian, a Frenchman and a Spaniard – argue that Japan has much to gain by pursuing a more engaged, outward-looking, multilateral posture in its region and globally. While the country will continue to enjoy good relations with the West, the time has come for Japan to embrace its Asian heritage and future, as well as its own potential contribution to world affairs. A globally engaged, more open Japan, the authors argue, is win-win-win: good for Japan, good for Asia, and good for the world. If Japan is truly to become a global citizen, however, it must not only reach out more to the world, it must also admit more of the world – new ideas, people, and capital from afar – on its own soil. But is Japan - are Japanese - prepared to do so? This book is meant for general readers with an interest in globalization and Asia, businesspeople and investors in Asia and Japan, policy makers, journalists and commentators, and academics and students.

John Haffner works in strategic planning in the energy industry, and is a 2008 World Fellow at Yale University. Dr. Tomas Casas Klett is an entrepreneur operating in China and a lecturer at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. Dr. Jean-Pierre Lehmann is Professor of International Political Economy at IMD; he is also Founding Director of the Evian Group.