“The Courteous Power offers a new and engaging perspective of Japan’s relation with Southeast Asia in particular, and how a great power exercises leadership in the international system in general. The book is very timely in light of the ongoing geostrategic competition in Southeast Asia between the U.S. on one side and China on the other. Each chapter is well-written and theoretically grounded. The entire volume provides a coherent and theoretically sound work on Japan’s relations with Southeast Asia, and how it exercises power and leadership in the Indo-Pacific region.”
—Brendan Howe, Ewha Womans University
— Brendan Howe
"The editors of The Courteous Power have assembled a superb cast of experts to provide a comprehensive analysis of Japan's deep and multifaceted relations with Southeast Asia. ...The volume is a must-read for experts in the academic and policy-making communities, as well as students, who would like to understand how Japan and Southeast Asia have always been, and will continue to be, consequential actors in regional affairs."
—Contemporary Southeast Asia
— Bhubhindar Singh, Contemporary Southeast Asia
"The Courteous Power is a worthy addition to the contemporary scholarship on Japan’s role in the Indo-Pacific. It succeeds in characterizing the country’s ‘courteousness’ but also makes it clear that this should not be confused for weakness. In fact, Japan’s strength lies in its ability to maximize strategic relationships that preserve and grow Japanese influence in south-east Asia."
—International Affairs
— International Affairs
"Southeast Asia is an arena of superpower competition between the US and China. This volume looks beyond this Great Game and makes a convincing case that postwar Japan has been a key player and a “courteous power” gently shaping this region economically and institutionally over the past few decades. . . . To date, this is the best and most balanced book on Japan-Southeast Asian relations in the twenty-first century."
—Pacific Affairs
— Peng Er Lam, Pacific Affairs