Japanese involvement in Central Asia may strike a contrast with the reductionist narratives of international relations in a region often objectified as a receptacle of great power rivalry, or viewed through the discursive clichés of the New Great Game or New Silk Road. Besides geopolitical and pragmatic considerations, Japan’s cooperation with the Central Asian republics has to date had particularly strong humanitarian and idealist foundations, distinguishing it within the ensemble of Japan’s relations with the former Soviet Union.