The passing of Emperor Sh-owa marked the end of an era―an eramemorable in both war and peace. As is the custom， the newemperor’s reign was given a new name， in this case ’Heisei，’ but thisdid not mean a reset on the international stage. The persistent diplomaticissues remained， and， furthermore， new issues arose. Promotingglobal peace and stability， preventing natural disasters， relations withChina， regional cooperation， Japan’s role in the international order arejust some of the many outstanding issues. How did Japan approachthem and deal with them？ What was accomplished and what stillneeds to be done？ Given the issues’ paramount importance for bothJapan and the world at large， this anthology brings together influentialessays published by five of Japan’s leading scholars during the period.