Sakoku literally means "secluded nation" in Japanese, and the term usually is applied to Japanese attitudes of parochialism and exclusiveness. The "sakoku mentality" is frequently invoked to rationalize resistance to eliminating trade barriers and to explain Japanese attitudes toward foreigners. Itoh, who is an associate professor of political science at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, takes an in-depth look at the effect of sakoku on attempts to internationalize Japan. She puts sakoku in historical perspective and analyzes recent, well-publicized opinion polls that measured Japanese attitudes toward the U.S. and other parts of the world. Itoh then considers sakoku's role in Japanese immigration and foreign labor policies, the status of Okinawa, the liberalization of Japan's rice market, attitudes toward Japan's constitution that was imposed during the U.S. occupation, and Japan's participation in the UN and in peacekeeping operations. David Rouse