$12 off Japan: The Toothless Tiger

Once a political and economic powerhouse, Japan now finds herself severely weakened and in a very troubling situation with a belligerent and expansionist China on one side and a still–influential but distant and waning America on the other. For years Japan has adhered to its commitment to a strictly defensive military, while China, once the "sick man of Asia" rapidly expands its military—probing and pushing its neighbors to their limits. As the pendulum of geopolitical power inexorably swings back to China, Japan faces several dilemmas. What choices it makes will prove vital not only for its survival, but for the entire Pacific region.