Japan and the As-If International Systems

Adachi offers a groundbreaking reinterpretation of international relations through a non-Western lens and explores how Japan strategically engaged with, resisted, and at times created international systems-from the Chinese tributary system to the Western sovereign state system. By highlighting Japan's fluid participation in overlapping orders, the book challenges the notion of a singular, Western-centered international system. It blends global history with international relations theory to examine how identity, rather than mere power or interest, shapes a state's stance toward international systems to allow readers to gain a richly textured understanding of global politics, informed by historical sources from across Asia and Europe, and a fresh analytical framework for interpreting today's multipolar world. A valuable resource for scholars, researchers, and professionals of International Relations, Global IR, Asian history, and diplomatic studies and those interested in the evolution of international systems, the dynamics of U.S.-China rivalry, and the role of non-Western actors in shaping global order.