Policy And Politics In Japan

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Japanese Politics and Government

Author : Alisa Gaunder
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351856588
Total Pages : 248 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (518 download)

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Book Synopsis Japanese Politics and Government by : Alisa Gaunder

Download or read book Japanese Politics and Government written by Alisa Gaunder and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-19 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book investigates Japanese politics in the postwar era from theoretical and comparative perspectives. After providing historical context, it offers an in-depth exploration of postwar political institutions, political reform in the 1990s, the policymaking process, and the politics of economic growth and stagnation. The author draws attention to key policy issues including women and work, immigration, Japanese aging/low fertility society, and Constitutional revision. By delving into Japan’s international relations, the book sheds light on Japan’s security and trade policies, Japan’s role in the Asian region, and Japan’s bilateral relations with the U.S., China, South Korea, and the EU. Themes and questions addressed throughout the text include: How and why did Japan modernize so successfully when so many other countries fell prey to colonialism and authoritarianism? What explains the Japanese economic miracle and its subsequent economic stagnation? What accounts for Japan’s successful democratization? In the international realm, why has Japan achieved economic superpower status without achieving political superpower status? What has or has not changed since the historic election of the Democratic Party of Japan in 2009, and why? What is the future trajectory of Japanese politics? Connecting Japan to larger themes in comparative politics and linking Japan’s history, institutions, policymaking process, and international relations to experiences and structures in other countries, this book is essential reading for any course on Japanese or Asian Politics.

Japan in International Politics

Author : Thomas U. Berger
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Japan in International Politics by : Thomas U. Berger

Download or read book Japan in International Politics written by Thomas U. Berger and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How have shifts in both the international environment and domestic politics affected the trajectory of Japanese foreign policy? Does it still make sense to depict Japan as passive and reactive, or have the country's leaders become strategic and proactive? This book presents a nuanced picture of Japanese foreign policy, emphasizing the ways in which slow, adaptive changes, informed by pragmatic liberalism, have served the national interest.

The State and Politics In Japan

Author : Ian Neary
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1509535853
Total Pages : 314 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (95 download)

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Book Synopsis The State and Politics In Japan by : Ian Neary

Download or read book The State and Politics In Japan written by Ian Neary and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2019-05-20 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Politics in Japan is undergoing a major transformation. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has, since 2012, embarked upon an ambitious programme of policy reforms as well as changes to Japan’s governing structures and processes. At the heart of this policy agenda is ‘Abenomics’ – a set of measures designed to boost Japan’s flagging economy, but one which is yet to deliver on its promises. In this fully revised and updated second edition of his classic text, Ian Neary explores the dynamics of democracy in Japan, introducing the key institutions, developments and actors in its politics from the end of the Second World War to the present day. Packed with illustrative material and examples, this comprehensive study traces the continuities and the changes that are underway in five major policy areas: foreign and defence, industry, social welfare, the environment and human rights. Assuming no prior knowledge of Japan, this textbook will be an invaluable and welcome resource for all students interested in the government and politics of contemporary Japan and its international profile.

The Evolution of Japan's Party System

Author : Leonard J. Schoppa
Publisher : University of Toronto Press
ISBN 13 : 1442695439
Total Pages : 241 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (426 download)

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Book Synopsis The Evolution of Japan's Party System by : Leonard J. Schoppa

Download or read book The Evolution of Japan's Party System written by Leonard J. Schoppa and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2011-11-05 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In August 2009, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) won a crushing victory over the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), thus bringing to an end over fifty years of one-party dominance. Around the world, the victory of the DPJ was seen as a radical break with Japan's past. However, this dramatic political shift was not as sudden as it appeared, but rather the culmination of a series of changes first set in motion in the early 1990s. The Evolution of Japan's Party System analyses the transition by examining both party politics and public policy. Arguing that these political changes were evolutionary rather than revolutionary, the essays in this volume discuss how older parties such as the LDP and the Japan Socialist Party failed to adapt to the new policy environment of the 1990s. Taken as a whole, The Evolution of Japan's Party System provides a unique look at party politics in Japan, bringing them into a comparative conversation that usually focuses on Europe and North America.

The Logic of Japanese Politics

Author : Gerald L. Curtis
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231108435
Total Pages : 335 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (311 download)

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Book Synopsis The Logic of Japanese Politics by : Gerald L. Curtis

Download or read book The Logic of Japanese Politics written by Gerald L. Curtis and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2000-11-05 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Widely recognized both in America and Japan for his insider knowledge and penetrating analyses of Japanese politics, Gerald Curtis is the political analyst best positioned to explore the complexities of the Japanese political scene today. Curtis has personally known most of the key players in Japanese politics for more than thirty years, and he draws on their candid comments to provide invaluable and graphic insights into the world of Japanese politics. By relating the behavior of Japanese political leaders to the institutions within which they must operate, Curtis makes sense out of what others have regarded as enigmatic or illogical. He utilizes his skills as a scholar and his knowledge of the inner workings of the Japanese political system to highlight the commonalities of Japanese and Western political practices while at the same time explaining what sets Japan apart. Curtis rejects the notion that cultural distinctiveness and consensus are the defining elements of Japan's political decision making, emphasizing instead the competition among and the profound influence of individuals operating within particular institutional contexts on the development of Japan's politics. The discussions featured here -- as they survey both the detailed events and the broad structures shaping the mercurial Japanese political scene of the 1990s -- draw on extensive conversations with virtually all of the decade's political leaders and focus on the interactions among specific politicians as they struggle for political power. The Logic of Japanese Politics covers such important political developments as • the Liberal Democratic Party's egress from power in 1993, after reigning for nearly four decades, and their crushing defeat in the "voters' revolt" of the 1998 upper-house election; • the formation of the 1993 seven party coalition government led by prime minister Morihiro Hosokawa and its collapse eight months later; • the historic electoral reform of 1994 which replaced the electoral system operative since the adoption of universal manhood suffrage in 1925; and • the decline of machine politics and the rise of the mutohaso -- the floating, nonparty voter. Scrutinizing and interpreting a complex and changing political system, this multi-layered chronicle reveals the dynamics of democracy at work -- Japanese-style. In the process, The Logic of Japanese Politics not only offers a fascinating picture of Japanese politics and politicians but also provides a framework for understanding Japan's attempts to surmount its present problems, and helps readers gain insight into Japan's future.

Local Politics and National Policy

Author : Ken Victor Leonard Hijino
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1317265629
Total Pages : 183 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (172 download)

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Book Synopsis Local Politics and National Policy by : Ken Victor Leonard Hijino

Download or read book Local Politics and National Policy written by Ken Victor Leonard Hijino and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-04-28 with total page 183 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is about why and how central and local governments clash over important national policy decisions. Its empirical focus is on the local politics of Japan which has significantly shaped, and been shaped by, larger developments in national politics. The book argues that since the 1990s, changes in the national political arena, fiscal and administrative decentralization, as well as broader socio-economic developments have led to a decoupling of once closely integrated national and local party systems in Japan. Such decoupling has led to a breakdown of symbiotic relations between the centre and regions. In its place are increasing strains between national and local governments leading to greater intra-party conflict, inter-governmental conflicts, and more chief executives with agendas and resources increasingly autonomous of the national ruling party. Although being a book primarily focused on the Japanese case, the study seeks to contribute to a broader understanding of how local partisans shape national policy-making. The book theorizes and investigates how the degree of state centralization, vertical integration for party organizations, and partisan congruence in different levels of government affect inter-governmental relations. Japan’s experience is compared with Germany, Canada, and the UK to explore sources of multi-level policy conflict. Chapter 1 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Japan’s Security Renaissance

Author : Andrew L. Oros
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231542593
Total Pages : 338 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

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Book Synopsis Japan’s Security Renaissance by : Andrew L. Oros

Download or read book Japan’s Security Renaissance written by Andrew L. Oros and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2017-03-07 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For decades after World War II, Japan chose to focus on soft power and economic diplomacy alongside a close alliance with the United States, eschewing a potential leadership role in regional and global security. Since the end of the Cold War, and especially since the rise of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan's military capabilities have resurged. In this analysis of Japan's changing military policy, Andrew L. Oros shows how a gradual awakening to new security challenges has culminated in the multifaceted "security renaissance" of the past decade. Despite openness to new approaches, however, three historical legacies—contested memories of the Pacific War and Imperial Japan, postwar anti-militarist convictions, and an unequal relationship with the United States—play an outsized role. In Japan's Security Renaissance Oros argues that Japan's future security policies will continue to be shaped by these legacies, which Japanese leaders have struggled to address. He argues that claims of rising nationalism in Japan are overstated, but there has been a discernable shift favoring the conservative Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party. Bringing together Japanese domestic politics with the broader geopolitical landscape of East Asia and the world, Japan's Security Renaissance provides guidance on this century's emerging international dynamics.

Media and Politics in Japan

Author : Susan Pharr
Publisher : University of Hawaii Press
ISBN 13 : 9780824817619
Total Pages : 416 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (176 download)

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Book Synopsis Media and Politics in Japan by : Susan Pharr

Download or read book Media and Politics in Japan written by Susan Pharr and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 1996-03-01 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Japan is one of the most media-saturated societies in the world. The circulations of its "big five" national newspapers dwarf those of any major American newspaper. Its public service broadcasting agency, NHK, is second only to the BBC in size. And it has a full range of commercial television stations, high-brow and low-brow magazines, and a large anti-mainstream media and mini-media. Japanese elites rate the mass media as the most influential group in Japanese society. But what role do they play in political life? Whose interests do the media serve? Are the media mainly servants of the state, or are they watchdogs on behalf of the public? And what effects do the media have on the political beliefs and behavior of ordinary Japanese people? These questions are the focus of this collection of essays by leading political scientists, sociologists, social psychologists, and journalists. Japan's unique kisha (press) club system, its powerful media business organizations, the uses of the media by Japan's wily bureaucrats, and the role of the media in everything from political scandals to shaping public opinion, are among the many subjects of this insightful and provocative book.

Local Politics and National Policy

Author : Ken Victor Leonard Hijino
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317265610
Total Pages : 268 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (172 download)

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Book Synopsis Local Politics and National Policy by : Ken Victor Leonard Hijino

Download or read book Local Politics and National Policy written by Ken Victor Leonard Hijino and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-04-28 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is about why and how central and local governments clash over important national policy decisions. Its empirical focus is on the local politics of Japan which has significantly shaped, and been shaped by, larger developments in national politics. The book argues that since the 1990s, changes in the national political arena, fiscal and administrative decentralization, as well as broader socio-economic developments have led to a decoupling of once closely integrated national and local party systems in Japan. Such decoupling has led to a breakdown of symbiotic relations between the centre and regions. In its place are increasing strains between national and local governments leading to greater intra-party conflict, inter-governmental conflicts, and more chief executives with agendas and resources increasingly autonomous of the national ruling party. Although being a book primarily focused on the Japanese case, the study seeks to contribute to a broader understanding of how local partisans shape national policy-making. The book theorizes and investigates how the degree of state centralization, vertical integration for party organizations, and partisan congruence in different levels of government affect inter-governmental relations. Japan’s experience is compared with Germany, Canada, and the UK to explore sources of multi-level policy conflict. Chapter 1 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Health Insurance Politics in Japan

Author : Takakazu Yamagishi
Publisher : ILR Press
ISBN 13 : 9781501763496
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (634 download)

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Book Synopsis Health Insurance Politics in Japan by : Takakazu Yamagishi

Download or read book Health Insurance Politics in Japan written by Takakazu Yamagishi and published by ILR Press. This book was released on 2022 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Covering the period from the Meiji Restoration to the Abe administration, this book examines what has driven the development of health politics, particularly regarding health insurance policy, of Japan and what role the government and medical professionals have played in the policy development"--

Japanese Foreign Policy and Domestic Politics

Author : Donald C. Hellmann
Publisher : University of California Press
ISBN 13 : 0520303822
Total Pages : 214 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (23 download)

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Book Synopsis Japanese Foreign Policy and Domestic Politics by : Donald C. Hellmann

Download or read book Japanese Foreign Policy and Domestic Politics written by Donald C. Hellmann and published by University of California Press. This book was released on 2018-09-25 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After the withdrawal of the Allied Occupation forces, many Japanese political leaders sought for their country a larger and more independent role in world affairs. Thus, the newly installed Hatoyama Government made known its desire for normal diplomatic relations with both the Soviet Union and the (Communist) Republic of china--a goal that became a major Party slogan. The subsequent negotiations for a peace agreement with the Soviet Union precipitated intense domestic political controversy, n part because the issue represented the first major act of foreign policy to be proposed by the government since the restoration of national independence; as such, it attracted many politicians who were just then emerging or reemerging after the Allied purge of pre-war and wartime political leaders. The battle was waged with little concern for the central question of national policy; instead, the main attraction was political--party and factional--power. The two-year conflict, which continued until the conclusion of an agreement with the Soviet Union in 1956, determined many of the characteristic and permanent features that the Japanese political order has displayed since that time. Hence the interest that attaches to this study, which analyzes the political elements affecting the course of negotiations with Russia: public opinion, political parties, private pressure groups, and the formal institutions of government. Mr. Hellmann's perceptive appraisal of the action and interaction of these elements leads to conclusions that challenge many commonly held assumptions about the nature of the Japanese political system, particularly those assumptions concerning the influence of business groups. Since his perspective on the entire political process affecting the negotiations with the Soviet Union is sufficiently broad to permit him to draw parallels with comparable processess in Western nations, the book should interest student of comparative and international politics as well as those concerned with the widening role of Japan in East Asian politics. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1969.

Contemporary Japanese Politics

Author : Tomohito Shinoda
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 023152806X
Total Pages : 349 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

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Book Synopsis Contemporary Japanese Politics by : Tomohito Shinoda

Download or read book Contemporary Japanese Politics written by Tomohito Shinoda and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2013-09-24 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Decentralized policymaking power in Japan had developed under the reign of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), yet in the1990s, institutional changes fundamentally altered Japan's political landscape. Tomohito Shinoda tracks these developments in the operation of and tensions between Japan's political parties and the public's behavior in elections, as well as in the government's ability to coordinate diverse policy preferences and respond to political crises. The selection of Junichiro Koizumi, an anti-mainstream politician, as prime minister in 2001 initiated a power shift to the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and ended LDP rule. Shinoda details these events and Prime Minister Koizumi's use of them to practice strong policymaking leadership. He also outlines the institutional initiatives introduced by the DPJ government and their impact on policymaking, illustrating the importance of balanced centralized institutions and bureaucratic support.

How Policies Change

Author : John Creighton Campbell
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400862957
Total Pages : 437 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis How Policies Change by : John Creighton Campbell

Download or read book How Policies Change written by John Creighton Campbell and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2014-07-14 with total page 437 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Japan is aging rapidly, and its government has been groping with the implications of this profound social change. In a pioneering study of postwar Japanese social policy, John Creighton Campbell traces the growth from small beginnings to an elaborate and expensive set of pension, health care, employment, and social service programs for older people. He argues that an understanding of policy change requires a careful disentangling of social problems and how they come to be perceived, the invention (or borrowing) of policy solutions, and conflicts and coalitions among bureaucrats, politicians, interest groups, and the general public. The key to policy change has often been the strategies adopted by policy entrepreneurs to generate or channel political energy. To make sense of all these complex processes, the author employs a new theory of four "modes" of decision-making--cognitive, political, artifactual, and inertial. Campbell refutes the claim that there is a unique "Japanese-style welfare state." Despite the big differences in cultural values, social arrangements, economic priorities, and political control, government responsibility for the "aging-society problem" is broadly similar to that in advanced Western nations. However, Campbell's account of how Japan has taken on that responsibility raises new issues for our understanding of both Japanese politics and theories of the welfare state. Originally published in 1992. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Help (Not) Wanted

Author : Michael Strausz
Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 1438475535
Total Pages : 216 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (384 download)

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Book Synopsis Help (Not) Wanted by : Michael Strausz

Download or read book Help (Not) Wanted written by Michael Strausz and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2019-08-01 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Help (Not) Wanted, Michael Strausz offers an original and provocative answer to a question that has long perplexed observers of Japan: Why has Japan's immigration policy remained so restrictive, especially in light of economic, demographic, and international political forces that are pushing Japan to admit more immigrants? Drawing upon insights developed during nearly two years of intensive field research in Japan, Strausz ultimately argues that Japan's immigration policy has remained restrictive for two reasons. First, Japan's labor-intensive businesses have failed to defeat anti-immigration forces within the Japanese state, particularly those in the Ministry of Justice and the Japanese Diet. Second, no influential strain of elite thought in postwar Japan exists to support the idea that significant numbers of foreign nationals have a legitimate claim to residency and citizenship. This book is particularly timely at a moment shaped by Brexit, the election of Trump, and the rise of anti-immigrant political parties and nativist rhetoric across the globe.

Party Politics in Japan

Author : Ronald J. Hrebenar
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317745973
Total Pages : 227 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (177 download)

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Book Synopsis Party Politics in Japan by : Ronald J. Hrebenar

Download or read book Party Politics in Japan written by Ronald J. Hrebenar and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-09-19 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Japanese political system is a parliamentary democracy and was the first western style government in Asia when the parliamentary system was adopted in the 1880s. It has a multiparty system, free elections, and a parliament that functions much the same way that any other democratic parliament functions, however for much of its existence the Japanese party system has been dominated by one party. This fact is crucial to understanding contemporary politics in Japan, especially since the long term ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party, is once again back in power. This book presents an up-to-date analysis of the political parties that make up the Japanese party system and their impact on Japanese politics and government. Given that the executive branch is selected as a result of the pattern of party numbers in the parliament, to understand Japanese politics and policy, one must first know the nature of the ruling and opposition parties and their leaders. Indeed, in the past decade the quality of Japan’s government has been closely associated with the strengths and weaknesses of Japan’s prime ministers and the dominant party in the system. This book focuses on a central question: why Japanese politics and government has been so dysfunctional in the past two decades? With this question in mind, the chapters provide key background information on Japanese politics and political parties; discuss each of the major political parties that have governed Japan since 1955; and finally, examine the December 2012 House of Representatives elections that returned the LDP to power, and the differences between the First (1955-1993) and the Second Post War Party Systems (1993- ). Party Politics in Japan provides a comprehensive analysis of the past sixty years of Japanese party politics. As such, it will be of great interest to students and scholars of Japanese politics and Asian politics, as well as to those interested in political parties and political systems more broadly.

Introduction to Japanese Politics

Author : Louis D. Hayes
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1315289431
Total Pages : 389 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (152 download)

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Book Synopsis Introduction to Japanese Politics by : Louis D. Hayes

Download or read book Introduction to Japanese Politics written by Louis D. Hayes and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-09-17 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This classic introduction to the Japanese political system has been revised and updated to take the account of a time of turmoil in the country's political life. It incorporates new coverage of the end of the Koizumi era, the brief and troubled premiership of Abe, and the selection of Fukuda as prime minister. This edition also includes expanded material on "bubble" and "post-bubble" economic developments, as well as all-new coverage of health care policy.The text opens with an overview of Japan's geographical setting and history. The next group of chapters covers political institutions, processes, and actors. Two sections then address the country's distinctive social order and economy, educational, healthcare, and public safety systems. Part five looks at the increasingly contentious realm of foreign relations and security issues, including China's expanding role and the issue of North Korea. A concluding section considers dynamics of change in Japanese politics.

Rethinking Japan

Author : Arthur Stockwin
Publisher : Lexington Books
ISBN 13 : 1498537936
Total Pages : 313 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (985 download)

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Book Synopsis Rethinking Japan by : Arthur Stockwin

Download or read book Rethinking Japan written by Arthur Stockwin and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2017-02-15 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The authors argue that with the election of the Abe Government in December 2012, Japanese politics has entered a radically new phase they describe as the “2012 Political System.” The system began with the return to power of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), after three years in opposition, but in a much stronger electoral position than previous LDP-based administrations in earlier decades. Moreover, with the decline of previously endemic intra-party factionalism, the LDP has united around an essentially nationalist agenda never absent from the party’s ranks, but in the past was generally blocked, or modified, by factions of more liberal persuasion. Opposition weakness following the severe defeat of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) administration in 2012 has also enabled the Abe Government to establish a political stability largely lacking since the 1990s. The first four chapters deal with Japanese political development since 1945 and factors leading to the emergence of Abe Shinzō as Prime Minister in 2012. Chapter 5 examines the Abe Government’s flagship economic policy, dubbed “Abenomics.” The authors then analyse four highly controversial objectives promoted by the Abe Government: revision of the 1947 ‘Peace Constitution’; the introduction of a Secrecy Law; historical revision, national identity and issues of war apology; and revised constitutional interpretation permitting collective defence. In the final three chapters they turn to foreign policy, first examining relations with China, Russia and the two Koreas, second Japan and the wider world, including public diplomacy, economic relations and overseas development aid, and finally, the vexed question of how far Japanese policies are as reactive to foreign pressure. In the Conclusion, the authors ask how far right wing trends in Japan exhibit common causality with shifts to the right in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. They argue that although in Japan immigration has been a relatively minor factor, economic stagnation, demographic decline, a sense of regional insecurity in the face of challenges from China and North Korea, and widening gaps in life chances, bear comparison with trends elsewhere. Nevertheless, they maintain that “[a] more sane regional future may be possible in East Asia.”