<DIV> <DIV> <p class="MsoNormal">For many decades Japan enjoyed great success with its export-oriented economy and the outsourcing of its foreign policy to the United States under the&nbsp;US security&nbsp;umbrella. Its role in the world was simple, and times were good. But times have changed: with the end of the Cold War, the collapse of its bubble economy, a shrinking domestic population, global instabilities after 9-11, the rise of China, and other seismic shifts, Japan now faces a much more complicated world. A quiet but high-stakes debate is now taking place inside and outside Japan about the degree to which the country will be able to influence its own future, and how it should seek to evolve. Are Japan&rsquo;s glory days behind it, and is it destined to retreat quietly with its aging population behind mercantilist walls? Or will it seamlessly reinvent itself and adapt to a new world order as a major power? Will Japan be able to maintain the benefits of both American military protection and Chinese economic dynamism for many decades to come?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In this groundbreaking and provocative discussion, three foreigners who have lived and worked in Japan &ndash; a Canadian, a Frenchman and a Spaniard &ndash; argue that Japan has much to gain by pursuing a more engaged, outward-looking, multilateral posture in its region and globally. While the country will continue to enjoy good relations with the West, the time has come for Japan to embrace&nbsp;its Asian heritage and future, as well as its own potential contribution to world affairs. A globally engaged, more open Japan, the authors argue, is win-win-win: good for Japan, good for Asia, and good for the world. If Japan is truly to become a global citizen, however, it must not only reach out more to the world, it must&nbsp;also admit more of the world &ndash; new ideas, people, and capital from afar &ndash; on&nbsp;its own soil. But is&nbsp;Japan&nbsp;-&nbsp;are Japanese&nbsp;-&nbsp;prepared to do so?</p> </div> </div>