Explores the major ideas and intellectual traditions that shaped Japan’s political development from the late Tokugawa era to modern times. The book highlights how thinkers and reformers debated issues such as modernization, authority, democracy, and national identity. Najita shows how these evolving ideas influenced the formation of Japan’s political institutions and guided the country’s …
An overview of Japan’s contemporary political, economic, and social landscape, highlighting the forces that have shaped the nation’s modern identity. The book examines postwar developments, governmental structure, industrial growth, technological innovation, demographic change, and cultural trends. It explores the balance between tradition and modernization, the role of education and work c…
Explores the historical roots and key characteristics of Japanese cultural identity. Through an anthropological perspective, Ishida examines how geography, early social structures, religious traditions, and external influences shaped Japan’s values, rituals, and patterns of thought. The book offers a concise overview of the main cultural factors that have defined Japan’s development over time.
This book focuses on the Japanese encounter with the Americans in the mid-nineteenth century, an episode that took place rather late in the "age of discovery," as the last "unknown" lands of Africa and Asia were being probed by Western merchants, explorers, and travelers. Most of the documents assembled here -- poems and political pamphlets, official memorials and private journals, newspaper re…
A distinguished Japanese scholar counterbalances the current preoccupation among sociologists with childhood socialization by exploring the changes in values and attitudes among adults in Japan before and after World War II. Originally published in 1970. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the disting…
The social structures that shape everyday life in Japan. She argues that Japanese society is organized around “frames,” or group-based affiliations, rather than class. These group ties influence authority, loyalty, and social behavior, helping explain how cohesion and hierarchy function within Japanese institutions. The book offers a concise framework for understanding the foundations of Ja…
An overview of the development of religious traditions in Japan from ancient to modern times. The book outlines the evolution of Shinto, Buddhism, Confucian influences, and various syncretic practices, showing how these traditions interacted with major historical and cultural changes. Anesaki highlights key periods of religious transformation and explains how religion has influenced Japanese so…
An extensive overview of the historical development, structure, and contemporary practice of religion in Japan. The book examines major religious traditions—such as Shinto, Buddhism, Christianity, and various new religious movements—while analyzing their beliefs, rituals, institutions, and social roles. It highlights how religious practices have adapted over time in response to cultural cha…
How political institutions, bureaucratic structures, and interest groups interact to shape public policy in modern Japan. Pempel analyzes the roles of key actors—such as government ministries, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), business organizations, and advisory councils—in the formulation and implementation of policy. The book highlights Japan’s distinctive consensus-oriented approach…
Analysis of Japan’s post–World War II transformation into one of the world’s most successful and stable industrial societies. Vogel examines the political, economic, social, and cultural factors that enabled Japan to achieve rapid growth, high educational standards, effective bureaucracy, strong social cohesion, and low crime rates. Rather than presenting Japan as a perfect model, Vogel h…