This volume details the evolution of Japan's foreign policy and its initiatives with respect to Central Asia. This volume provides insights into the security, political, and economic aspects of cooperation between CA states and Japan and the features that characterize these relations.

List of illustrations Introduction 1. Between Idealism and Pragmatism 2. Japan's ODA Assistance Scheme and Central Asian Engagement: Determinants, Trends and Expectations 3. One Village - One Product: The Case of JICA's Community Empowerment Project in Kyrgyzstan 4. Water-resource Dispute Management in Central Asia: Japanese Attempt of Water Resource Efficiency Promotion 5. China as Japan's 'other' in Central Asia 6. Chinese and Japanese Foreign Policies towards Central Asia from a Comparative Perspective Index

“Japan in Central Asia … can be viewed as a welcome addition to this growing literature in the international relations study and comparative politics. It also stands as a useful contribution to the field of Japanese study … . Apart from shedding light on Japan’s engagement in the largely understudied region, providing these triggers for future major research agendas can be seen as another important contribution this book makes to the field of international relations and Japanese studies.” (Kuniko Ashizawa, International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, Vol. 17 (1), January, 2017)“Timur Dadabaev’s book is a milestone, as it not only represents the first English-language monograph on this under-researched subject, but also as it is researched and written by a Central Asian scholar based in Japan. … Besides its scholarly implications for aseries of key disciplines, the volume is also useful for policymakers and practitioners. … Timur Dadabaev’s intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking monograph has laid a remarkable foundation.” (Nikolay Murashkin, Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 68 (9), 2016)