Japan: A Postindustrial Power, Third Edition

In this new edition of a much-praised book, Ardath W. Burks draws a skillful portrait of a nation in historical transition. Examining the impact of the countrys modernization, the author notes that Japan, feeling intense trade pressure, is beginning to shift from export-driven growth to a consumer-centered economy. As he considers its headlong pace of change, Professor Burks envisions a postindustrial future filled with friction and promise. Japan has been among the first of the handful of countries to move beyond modern, and in this third edition of a much-praised book, Ardath Burks brings the blur of the nations rapid change into focus. In his newly revised and updated Japan, Professor Burks also traces the history of the Japanese, exploring their traditions, their continuity, and their cultural heritage. He devotes a chapter to the remarkable introspection boom (Nihonron): the Japanese asking Who are we Japanese? In discussing the countrys swift modernization, the author looks not only at the initial transition from primary agriculture to an industrial economy but also at the current evolution into a service-centered society. On both domestic and international levels, the book evaluates the maturing of Japanese industry and its growing investment abroad, as well as the global tensions fueled by Japans enormous trade surpluses. In response to the intense trade pressure it feels, the country is beginning to shift from export-driven growth to a consumer-oriented economy, a shift that will demand the building of a heretofore neglected, yet essential, infrastructure of housing and transportation.The author analyzes domestic political developments including the regimes of Nakasone Yasuhiro and the fall of Takeshita Noboru and Uno Sousuke, precipitated by financial scandal within the majority Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Burks assesses the formidable tasks facing the revamped ruling LDP as its new generation of younger leaders grapples with an evolving economy, an expanding regional role, and the dissatisfaction of women and young people who have begun to rebel against the growth ethic and their marginalized role in society.In his well-drawn, lucid portrait of this complex country, Professor Burks reflects on Japan as a nation in historical transition, envisioning a postindustrial future filled with friction and promise. As he writes in his introduction, Americans and Japanese too often look at each other through opposite ends of a telescope. This brief study is an attempt to bring Japan and its people into sharper focus for the English-speaking world.

Table of Contents:
Sansui - the landscape and its settlement; the Japanese tradition; Shibui - a taste of Japanese culture; Kindaika (modernization) - postwar politics; the postwar economy; the postindustrial society; Kokuminsei - who are we Japanese?; Kokusaika.