Japan has vital interests in the Middle East, sometimes obscured by its self-effacing posture and limited political and military involvement. This welcome book, enriched by interviews with Japanese officials, tells the little-known story of how Tokyo has tried to protect its interests through the course of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the hostage crisis in Iran, the Soviet move into Afghanistan, and the Iran-Iraq war. Among the interesting aspects of the story are the frequent differences of view among the Japanese themselves and the friction between Japan and its American ally.