JAPAN’S VALUE-BASED RELATIONSHIP IN ACTION: THE CASE OF CENTRAL ASIA

Abstract

In light of continuing geopolitical and geoeconomic transformations in Eurasia, regional and international players are revising their foreign policies toward Central Asia. Japan, which has been developing stable and value-oriented cooperation with the region, has also been affected by the current transformations that impact the relationship with Central Asia. The paper attempts to reintroduce Japan’s vision of Central Asia by unpacking Japan’s larger matrix of foreign policy and scrutinising its humanitarian and development assistance efforts in Central Asia. The paper first focuses on the retrospective developments of Japan’s engagement with the region. Then it discloses the economic underpinnings of cooperation. Further, discuss development assistance mechanisms in Central Asia. In conclusion, the paper summarises Japan’s engagement with Central Asia in connection to previous and ongoing political and economic developments in the region. By doing so, another perspective on Japan-Central Asia affairs will be provided that enables scientific discussions on Japan’s transforming foreign policy.