Shintaro Ishihara's Summary

When Japan was at the turning point of its economy and in the process of forming a new government, Nakae Chomin wrote A Discourse by Three Drunkards on Government, a political theory book that primarily deals with question of Japan’s future with an interesting debate between Champion and the Gentleman. Character Champion thought that Japan should step out of their isolated island and become more forceful in its handling of foreign disputes. He believed that Japan will stay weak if Japan did not have the strength and forces to conquer other nations. The Western learning Gentleman on the other side is a proponent of the modern Western notion of liberty and equality. He criticized Western nations for maintaining large armies that drained their economy. He suggested that Japan should abandon all attempts to compete with the West militarily and commit itself fully to the values that the West did not have. Approximately sixty years has passed since then, and Champion, Gentleman, and Master Nankai have gathered around once again to discuss the postwar Japan, the rise of the militarism, imperialist aggression, and the subsequent adoption

The system’s notable elements mainly consisted in anti-labor and pro-business policies that protected the home market from outside influence with low levels of social welfare spending, making Japan pass through a growth period though, at the same time, such system presented cases of Diet’s unconstitutionalism, corruption scandals, and a lack of organization in more than one aspect.

Have you ever felt threatened by the one you once called a friend? American’s know this feeling all too well. In 1919, the major world powers met to deal with the wreckage that had occurred in World War 1, among those present were Japan and the United States. Japan was unhappy about how Great Britain and The United States punished Germany, the Japanese saw it as they were trying to stick to the status quo and to not cause a commotion within the League of Nations.

Although Japan changed in many ways from 1853 to 1941, there were also many factors that remained the same throughout the history of Japan. One such continuity was the maintained existence of a figurehead ruler controlled by other political authorities. The feudalistic emperor of Japan was the supposed “highest, most powerful authority” in the land, but was actually controlled by the military leaders- the shogun. Similarly, the militaristic emperor of Japan decades later continued to remain a figurehead ruler controlled by military and government officials. In addition, Japan continued to remain reliant on exports in order to maintain its economy. As a result of Japan’s small geographical size, the island nation had few natural resources and was forced to rely on exports to survive economically. The nation also grew increasingly reliant on other nations to provide materials and supplies that it could not provide for itself. This complete reliance on other nations was seen illustrated when the Japanese military was provoked to attacking another superpower- the United States, in response to the 1940 United States embargo

America’s use of the atomic bombs on the Japanese cities also opened the door to other countries challenging them through their own use of nuclear bombs. Many have criticized that the atomic bomb was an act of “muscle flexing” due to the sheer power and destruction caused by the decision to drop the two bombs. (Nicholls, 67). Not only were these bombs a demonstration of the power that these nuclear weapons had, but they were a testament of power that the United States now held. Never before had a country surrendered in war without first being invaded, so the decision to drop the bomb and Japan's subsequent surrender were extremely significant (Baldwin, 39). These bombings didn’t just impact the Japanese, but the whole world and gave way to

After centuries of living in seclusion to the outside world, the government knew that they needed the technological advancements that the West offered. The Industrial Revolution and growing urbanisation in Japan had intended to and succeeded in mimicking Western growth. Moreover, the Japanese were well-known for their diligence, discipline, perseverance, and hard work – this resulted in substantial economic development including increased shipping of commodities and a significant expansion of trade and handicraft industries. However, the political elite pocketed most of the profits through influence and corruption. Workers and farmers found it unfair that their patriotic and back-breaking labour only received a little wage in comparison, but with a state-controlled media and education system, they couldn’t make their voices heard. So overall, this collective and nationalistic open-mindedness for communal prosperity was beneficial for Japan as a whole, but the common people were disadvantaged with no access to basic human rights and a fair

The Americans prior to World War II had always seen the Japanese as an inferior race dating back even further than the time of Commodore Matthew Perry in the mid 19th century. The US government saw the country of Japan as childish and immature. After the War The United States wanted to fix Japan, make it an ally by changing the country into a more western mature nation. The USA wanted to create a democratic economic powerhouse in its own image. The reformation of Japan after the war was simply an imposing of western ideas and values, not unlike the Meiji period that happened almost a century prior. The article shows that the United States needed the help the Japanese because they believed that the Japanese could not help themselves. The article also show a contrast to this with the treatment of the Chinese by the Japanese during the second Sino-Japanese war, who saw them as inferiors. Japan saw themselves as liberators from barbarism as much as the Americans. The article stops itself from being an essay on the shortcomings of the US, but also of Japan; it succeeds in giving discredit where discredit is due, for a more balanced look at both of the

These two states have vast similarities in how their governments later formed. With the United States, governmental design was self-conscious and planned, while Japan underwent many governmental evolutions to become the state it is today. Furthermore, these two studies dive into what truly makes a strong, weak, and failing state as Japan’s economy is the weakest indicator on the Failed State Index, yet it still reigns as an exceptionally strong

The relationship between Japan and the United States prior to World War II is outlined in the beginning of the chapter. Iokibe states that their relationship went through three stages, the first being fifty years of “friendship,” the second was twenty-five years of going back and forth between conflict and cooperation, and finally ten years of aggression resulting in the attack on Pearl Harbor (91). The next portion of the chapter discusses the two sides of the U.S. Occupation, being both lenient and severe. The United States occupied Japan for several years after its defeat and subjected the country to reforms that had an impact on every part of their society. However, cooperation on both sides gave way for a more lenient United States. The simply wanted to ensure that Japan would not become a threat to the security of the U.S. again, and to do so they implemented demilitarization and democratization. The Japanese, with little resistance, accepted and welcomed

In this essay, I will agree with certain scholars that there was indeed a ‘general crisis’ during the 17th Century, where many countries in the world suffered from decline in several aspects such as economy and politics. This ‘general crisis’ affected Japan as well, although Japan generally fared better than other countries in East Asia during the 17th Century.

Throughout the work, Fujitani draws evidence from, and references, a plethora of different sources that add validity to his statements and accounts of not only what the Japanese and United States did, but also why they acted the way they did. In a time of war, both countries took different actions that were not readily understood. Japan

In 1945, Japan was devastated and lost a quarter of the national wealth after suffering a defect in the second world war. A majority of the commercial buildings and accommodation had been demolished, and massive machinery and equipment formerly used in production for the civil market were out of service to provide metal for military supplies (Miyazaki 1967). Despite the trash and ruins had left over in Japan, Japan was able to rebuilding its infrastructure and reconstruct their economy. It is revealed that the Japanese economy was on its way to recovery, which received a rapid development since the war, and the reconstruction of Japan had spent less than forty years to become the world’s second largest economy in the 1980s. This essay will explore the three factors account for the economic growth of post-war Japan: the financial assistance from the United States, the external environment, and the effective policy of Japanese government.

     Over the past fifty years Japan has seen significant changes in all aspects of its society and the way it interacts with the outside world. For example, despite suffering a defeat in World War II, Japan soon became one of Asia’s greatest economic powers. In Japan in Transformation, 1952 - 2000, Jeffrey Kingston focuses on various aspects of change in Japanese society and politics in the period after World War II. These include the effect of the US occupation, analysis of postwar politics, the economic boom, changes in demographics, the treatment of women, and foreign policy and security issues.

In addition to the causes above, the following events have further deepened Japan’s economic situation during the Lost Decades:

Kazuo Ishiguro, although still alive, has already changed the face of the field of literature. He has done this through the variant style with which he writes and the way that his Japanese background influences his writing (Sim). He has a unique writing style that is seldom mirrored in the works of other writers in the same genre (Brownstein). Many critics note that he is always producing different books that have such diverse plots which proves that “the most exciting thing about his work is just this refusal to stand still as a writer, this desire to push the envelope” (Sim). Kazuo Ishiguro is a writer who, like many, enjoys exploring a certain topic or emotion, and he especially liked writing about how regrets and memories affect people throughout life (Taylor). His utilization of memories and regrets helps him make deep meaningful characters who allow people to sympathize with their causes (Taylor). Kazuo Ishiguro’s most important contribution to literature is the variety he adds to his field by incorporating his Japanese heritage, his twist endings that surprise readers, the emotions of memories and regret to allow for realistic characters, and his diverse range of writing.