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How does a nation become a great power? A global order was emerging in the nineteenth century, one in which all nations were included. This book explores the multiple legal grounds of Meiji Japan´s assertion of sovereign statehood within that order: natural law, treaty law, international administrative law, and the laws of war.

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1. International Legal Grounds for State Sovereignty
2. The Family of Nations and Conflict of Laws
3. Territorial Sovereignty and Extraterritorial Privilege
4. The Alternative Order of International Administration
5. Mastering the International Laws of War
6. Japan Among the Great Powers

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"This book undoubtedly makes a landmark contribution to the field of modern Japanese history. ... Howland has succeeded in capturing the dynamics of the interactions between shifts in the world order and Japan´s diplomatic strategy, vividly depicting their impact on today´s international relations in East Asia and on international society. This book can inform and inspire not only Japanologists, but also scholars in international law, international politics, Asian studies, and history." (Tomoko Okagaki, Social Science Japan Journal, Vol. 20 (2), August, 2017)

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Douglas Howland is the Buck Professor of Chinese History at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA. He is the author of four books and co-editor (with Luise White) of The State of Sovereignty: Territories, Laws, Populations (2009).

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