Japan’s Strategic Thinking toward Central Asia

Abstract

The Eurasian continent in ancient times consisted of three major civilizations: China, the Orient (composite of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Persia), and the Roman Empire. Today Oriental civilization, which has probably the oldest origin among the three and extends from Morocco to the Ferghana Valley and even to Xinjiang, is mostly ignored, being simply identified with Islam and backwardness. Its glory as the center of science and art went into oblivion, connections among nations were ignored, and, owing to its critical geographical location, the history of the Eurasian continent as seen from East Asia was thereby deformed into a collection of separate civilizations.