Japan and East Asian Integration

Jemma Kim examines the theoretical and empirical issues on both economic globalism and regionalism. How will bilateralism affect other types of trade arrangements? Will it play a complementary or substitutive role? The question of why bilateral forms of FTAs rather than multilateral arrangements are burgeoning in the Asia Pacific region is answered by both political and economic approaches. Kim offers thorough and valuable insights into how Japan and South Korea came to accept regional FTA. This book is a must for anyone who wants to understand Japanese FTA policy and surely regarded as one of the most important contributions to Asia Pacific economic regionalism. - Shujiro Urata, Waseda University, Japan. Based on extensive interviews with those involved in the delicate tripartite compromise among ministry officials, interest group representatives and national diet members over the sensitive issue of agricultural trade liberalization, Jemma Kim offers a compelling domestic political account of Japan's choice at critical phases of its foreign trade negotiations. - Atsushi Ishida, The University of Tokyo, Japan. This is exactly what the international political economy in Asia needs: A theoretical analysis of globalization and regionalism based on insightful empirical studies of Japan's domestic politics in trade issues. Dr. Kim provides strong stimulation for the discussion of regionalism and East Asian integration. - Ryo Oshiba, Professor Emeritus, Hitotsubashi University.