Japan's Leadership Role in East Asia: Cooperation and Competition between Japan and China

Abstract

The issue of Japan's regional role is a source of concern and uncertainty for its Asian neighbours. By focusing primarily on Japan's relationship with China as well as the United States, this article first examines the concept of transformational leadership. It then discusses regionalism in the Asian Pacific arena, Japan's possible leadership role, and the changing dynamics of power distribution in the region for the past two decades. The challenge for Japan is that it must develop a joint leadership role with China in order to integrate the region as has been done in Europe and North America. In the economic dimension, such cooperation and integration is already well-developed, although limitations still remain. The most difficult problems lay in strategic and political dimensions. Japan's relations with China continue to be affected by two major factors, namely historical legacies (war memories) and the United States’ role in the region (particularly with regard to the issue of Taiwan).