World War II was the last time when overall U.S.-Japan relations, and the economic relationship in particular, were as bad as appears to be the case in the 1990s. The United States and Japan are, respectively, the two largest economies in the world. The Japanese have the second leading market for U.S. products trailing only Canada. Japan buys more…

With its increasing economic importance throughout the world, Japan has the potential to expand its political influence as well. Generally, however, Japan has been reluctant to use its growing power to influence political affairs both in Asia and in the rest of the world. This digest surveys the factors affecting Japan's role in world affairs, and…

Asian studies at the elementary and secondary levels and the needs for teacher education are the focus of this paper. Trends of the last few decades that may have negatively affected the place of Asia in the school curriculum are first examined. Calls for multiethnic education, a back-to-basics movement, and economic and law-related education may…

The nations of the Pacific Rim comprise an increasingly important world economic region. Of these countries, Japan is clearly the most powerful and important. While the United States is an important trading partner for Japan, the Japanese are paying increasing attention to the neighboring nations of the Pacific Rim. This digest examines the…

The evolution of development studies as a formal academic teaching and research endeavor is traced. "Development" is related here to "decolonialization." Attention is directed to: the sociopolitical and economic aspects of the society; the cultural (educational and historical) aspects or frameworks within which particular…