In what ways has Japan succeeded in shaping international politics in Essay

In what ways has Japan succeeded in shaping international politics in the Asia-Pacific without reviving memories of its past aggression - Essay Example Since the end of the Second World War, Japan withdrew from international politics, mostly because of measures imposed by the United States and by its Asian neighbours who suffered Japan’s aggression during the Second World War. And now after more than half a century of withdrawal from international politics, Japan is now slowly becoming a major player in the international scene. This paper shall discuss Japan’s re-entry into international politics, particularly focusing on Japan’s role in the Asia-Pacific region. Japan has been successful in playing a major role in international politics, especially in the Asia-Pacific region through its adoption of its multi-tiered approach. This multi-tiered approach which has been adopted to improve international cooperation among the Asia-Pacific nations is a new policy perspective which â€Å"packages different types of coordination among region states, including bilateral, multilateral, and minilateral or subregional, in a layered hierarchical manner† (Ashizawa, 2003, p. 361). Through this approach Japan has managed to maintain its enthusiasm for multilateral agreements even with countless criticisms on its significance and effectiveness. Through the multi-tiered approach, Japan has managed to maintain its security arrangements with the United States (Ashizawa, 2003, p. 361). And in applying such arrangements, Japan was able to form more connections with Asia-Pacific nations. With the adoption of new changes in its regional security order, the s elf-recognition of its status as a major power, and through its imposed constitutional constraints, Japan has managed to apply the multi-tiered approach as an effective approach in shaping its security policy and international relations 50 years after the Second World War (Ashizawa, 2003, p. 361). As far as its Asian neighbours are concerned, Japan has been trying