JAPAN-SOUTHEAST ASIA RELATIONS PRIOR TO 1977

Abstract

Modern Japan's initial relations with the Southeast Asian region were developed largely through trade and immigration and then through a policy of military expansion. This article is an attempt to provide a general overview of the historical relations between Japan and Southeast Asian countries prior to 1977. It will discuss how Japan managed to re-enter the region, which it once attacked, occupied and where it was eventually defeated. This article also attempts to explain the value of the region to Japan.