Masataka Kousaka (1934-1996) was one of Japan's most influential post-war realists; a leading Cold War scholar, commentator and advisor to political parties and prime ministers. Japan as a Maritime Power, an edited collection of his crucial writings, provides a realist account of international politics and Japan's foreign policy as a maritime power, as well as discussing Japan's strategy towards China, particularly in the 1960s.

Realism and post-war Japan are two subjects rarely associated in western scholarly literature about Japan, in which post-war Japan is overwhelmingly associated with pacifism. As such, little attention has been paid to post-war Japanese realists and their intellectual contribution to understanding Japanese foreign policy, international politics, and realism more generally. This translation corrects this omission by introducing his thinking to a wider audience, broadening the nuanced intellectual debate surrounding Japanese international relations. It will transform western readers' understanding of Japan's Cold War, foreign policy and its contribution to realism and theories of international politics.