Japan Since 1945

Japan Since 1945
Author: Christopher Gerteis
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2013-02-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 1441101187

Examines the social, cultural, and political underpinnings of Japan's postwar and post-industrial trajectories.

War Memory and Social Politics in Japan, 1945-2005

War Memory and Social Politics in Japan, 1945-2005
Author: Franziska Seraphim
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 448
Release: 2006
Genre: History
ISBN:

Japan has long wrestled with the memories and legacies of World War II. In the aftermath of defeat, war memory developed as an integral part of particular and divergent approaches to postwar democracy. In the last six decades, the demands placed upon postwar democracy have shifted considerablyâe"from social protest through high economic growth to Japanâe(tm)s relations in Asiaâe"and the meanings of the war shifted with them. This book unravels the political dynamics that governed the place of war memory in public life. Far from reconciling with the victims of Japanese imperialism, successive conservative administrations have left the memory of the war to representatives of special interests and citizen movements, all of whom used war memory to further their own interests. Franziska Seraphim traces the activism of five prominent civic organizations to examine the ways in which diverse organized memories have secured legitimate niches within the public sphere. The history of these domestic conflictsâe"over the commemoration of the war dead, the manipulation of national symbols, the teaching of history, or the articulation of relations with China and Koreaâe"is crucial to the current discourse about apology and reconciliation in East Asia, and provides essential context for the global debate on war memory.

Bodies of Memory

Bodies of Memory
Author: Yoshikuni Igarashi
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 295
Release: 2012-01-09
Genre: History
ISBN: 1400842980

Japan and the United States became close political allies so quickly after the end of World War II, that it seemed as though the two countries had easily forgotten the war they had fought. Here Yoshikuni Igarashi offers a provocative look at how Japanese postwar society struggled to understand its war loss and the resulting national trauma, even as forces within the society sought to suppress these memories. Igarashi argues that Japan's nationhood survived the war's destruction in part through a popular culture that expressed memories of loss and devastation more readily than political discourse ever could. He shows how the desire to represent the past motivated Japan's cultural productions in the first twenty-five years of the postwar period. Japanese war experiences were often described through narrative devices that downplayed the war's disruptive effects on Japan's history. Rather than treat these narratives as obstacles to historical inquiry, Igarashi reads them along with counter-narratives that attempted to register the original impact of the war. He traces the tensions between remembering and forgetting by focusing on the body as the central site for Japan's production of the past. This approach leads to fascinating discussions of such diverse topics as the use of the atomic bomb, hygiene policies under the U.S. occupation, the monstrous body of Godzilla, the first Western professional wrestling matches in Japan, the transformation of Tokyo and the athletic body for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and the writer Yukio Mishima's dramatic suicide, while providing a fresh critical perspective on the war legacy of Japan.

Eastern Phoenix

Eastern Phoenix
Author: Mikiso Hane
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2018-02-05
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0429973578

It has been fifty years since Japan admitted defeat and accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration following World War II. At the time, Japan was in shambles, its imperial dream shattered, and its people reduced to scrounging for sufficient food to stay alive. Yet over the past half century, Japan has remade itself and emerged as one of the leading economic powers in the world. How did Japan achieve this success, and what has this remarkable rebirth meant for the Japanese people?In Eastern Phoenix, Mikiso Hane closely examines historical factors that have contributed to Japan's postwar development politically, economically, socially, and culturally. Beginning with the occupation by U.S. forces under Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Hane shows how American reforms and initiatives combined with the political actions of subsequent Japanese leaders to create a country able to forge ahead economically while retaining many traditional aspects of prewar Japanese society.In addition to presenting a narrative overview of important events since 1945, Eastern Phoenix provides insight into the evolution of Japan's foreign relations, internal effects of prosperity on Japanese society, and problems that remain despite extraordinary progress. The book critically examines such media-hot topics as education, environmental degradation, organized crime, racial and class discrimination, the Japanese work ethic, and the role of women in society. To provide useful context for student readers, Hane frequently punctuates his discussion by contrasting Japanese statistics with those of the United States. The book also excels in examining how artists and writers have grappled with Japan's rapidly evolving contemporary history, and Hane points the reader toward books and films that can shed additional light on Japanese perceptions of the past fifty years.

Japan's Foreign Policy Since 1945

Japan's Foreign Policy Since 1945
Author: Kevin J. Cooney
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2015-03-26
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317466918

This student-friendly text provides a detailed and up-to-date assessment of Japan's foreign policy since 1945, including policy options and choices that Japan faces in the twenty-first century. Using information based on interviews with policymakers in Japan, the author provides new insight into Japan's foreign policy options and analyzes the nation's evolving role in international affairs. The book begins with a brief overview of major issues related to Japan's foreign policy since the mid-nineteenth century, and then focuses on the direction of Japanese foreign policy from 1945 to the present. It examines issues such as Article Nine of the Japanese Constitution, national security needs, the way Japan views the world around it, the role of nationalism in setting policy, and the influence of big industry. It also includes material on Japan's response to 9/11 and the war in Iraq. Designed for both undergraduate and graduate level courses, the text includes Discussion Questions, maps, a detailed bibliography with suggestions for further reading, and an Appendix with the Japanese Constitution for easy reference.

Japan's Imperial House in the Postwar Era, 1945-2019

Japan's Imperial House in the Postwar Era, 1945-2019
Author: Kenneth J. Ruoff
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 440
Release: 2021-02-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1684176166

"With the ascension of a new emperor and the dawn of the Reiwa Era, Kenneth J. Ruoff has expanded upon and updated The People’s Emperor, his study of the monarchy’s role as a political, societal, and cultural institution in contemporary Japan. Many Japanese continue to define the nation’s identity through the imperial house, making it a window into Japan’s postwar history. Ruoff begins by examining the reform of the monarchy during the U.S. occupation and then turns to its evolution since the Japanese regained the power to shape it. To understand the monarchy’s function in contemporary Japan, the author analyzes issues such as the role of individual emperors in shaping the institution, the intersection of the monarchy with politics, the emperor’s and the nation’s responsibility for the war, nationalistic movements in support of the monarchy, and the remaking of the once-sacrosanct throne into a “people’s imperial house” embedded in the postwar culture of democracy. Finally, Ruoff examines recent developments, including the abdication of Emperor Akihito and the heir crisis, which have brought to the forefront the fragility of the imperial line under the current legal system, leading to calls for reform."

Japan 1868-1945

Japan 1868-1945
Author: Takao Matsumura
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 293
Release: 2014-09-25
Genre: History
ISBN: 1317883942

The history of Imperial Japan, from the Meiji Restoration through to defeat and occupation at the end of the Second World War, is central to any understanding of the way in which modern Japan has developed and will continue to develop in the future. This wide-ranging accessible and up-to-date interpretation of Japanese history between 1868 and 1945 provides both a narrative and analysis. Describing the major changes that took place in Japanese political, economic and social life during this period, it challenges widely-held views about the uniqueness of Japanese history and the homogeneity of Japanese society.

Japan in Transformation, 1945–2020

Japan in Transformation, 1945–2020
Author: Jeff Kingston
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2021-11-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 0429767366

Japan in Transformation, 1945–2020 has been newly revised and updated to examine the 3.11 natural and nuclear disasters, Emperor Akihito’s abdication, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s legacies, the 2019 World Cup and the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to COVID-19. Through a chronological approach, this volume traces the development of Japan’s history from the US Occupation in 1945 to the political consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. It evaluates the impact of the Lost Decade of the 1990s as well as key issues such as the demographic crisis, war memory, regional relations, security concerns, constitutional revision and political stagnation. In response to post-2010 developments such as Abenomics, the demise of the Democratic Party of Japan and immigration policy, chapters have been reassessed to account for changes in politics, the role of women, Japan’s relationships with Asia and how and why policies have fallen short of stated goals. Overall, the volume reveals how Japan transformed into one of the largest economic and technological powers of the modern world. With a Chronology, Who’s who and Glossary, this edition is the ideal resource for all students interested in Japanese politics, economy and society since the end of World War II.

Japan Since 1945

Japan Since 1945
Author: Dennis B. Smith
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Total Pages: 180
Release: 1995
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780312127602

Japan's rise to political and economic prominence has been one of the most dramatic developments in the postwar world. Japan has the world's second largest economy and is undoubtedly an economic superpower. It is situated in the most dynamic economic region in the world, and Japan's economic power is bestowing increasing political significance on the country. This book provides a vital key to understanding this momentous transformation by giving a clear historical account of the process of Japanese economic, political and social change since the Second World War. It sets postwar Japan in its historical context, highlighting the essential continuities with the prewar world as well as detailing the changes which have occurred in Japan since 1945. The author explores such issues as Japan's prewar legacy, the importance of the American occupation to Japan's subsequent development, the creation of the postwar political structure, the sources of Japan's economic growth and the changing nature of Japanese politics and the economy in the 1970s and 1980s. The impact which this economic and political transformation has had on the Japanese people is also explored. The book ends with an account of Japan's serious economic recession in the early 1990s and the end of the Liberal Democrat Party's monopoly of government in 1993-4.

Defense of Japan 1945

Defense of Japan 1945
Author: Steven J. Zaloga
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 97
Release: 2011-12-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1780962193

In 1945, with her fleet destroyed and her armies beaten, the only thing that stood between Japan and an Allied invasion was the numerous coastal defence positions that surrounded the islands. This is the first book to take a detailed look at the Japanese home island fortifications that were constructed during 1941–45. Utilizing diagrams, specially commissioned artwork, and sources previously unavailable in English, Steven Zaloga examines these defences in the context of a possible Allied invasion, constructing various arguments for one of the greatest 'what if' scenarios of World War II, and helping to explain why the Americans decided to go ahead with a nuclear option.