6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Japan as it is and not as people would like it be. A seminal work., June 27, 2011
The complexities of modern Japan and the changes in social structure since the 1980's are difficult to comprehensively cover in a mere 328 pages. Mr. Kingston does an exemplary job of giving an ordinary reader great insight into Japan as of 2010, prior to the Great Tohoku Earthquake. In particular, his chapter on the yakuza, Japan's powerful mafia, is concise, informative and revelatory. He not only does a commendable job of summarizing their history, their economic activities, and their standing within Japanese society, he also manages to show how they are also a microcosm of the endemic problems of corruption and gentrification that modern Japan faces.
The previous reviewer who spouts on and on with phrases like "liberal-fascist dogma" clearly has an ideological axe to grind and some strong nationalist tendencies. If you're interested in Japan and seeking to gain knowledge of modern Japanese society in a timely and understandable medium, there are few books that come close to being this good. I've been a journalist in Japan for over 16 years and I highly recommend this work. I have met the author and was impressed by his deep knowledge of this country.
Anyone can write an academic treatise that is inaccessible and packed with foot-notes that only other academics would find valuable. Mr. Kingston has written a book that both scholars and students of Japan or simply those interested in political science or sociology will find useful and elucidating.
If you can read Japanese, there are two books that I would highly recommend you read as well. One of them beautifully explains the collapse of the Japanese work force [...] and the other the problems within Japan's government structure. [..]
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6 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining but light treatment of Japan's social problems, September 17, 2010
For an academic, Prof. Kingston writes in an almost conversational style, so this is an easy, entertaining read about many of Japan's social problems. It is unfortunate that this easy read is marred by sloppy editing in places (e.g. misplaced commas and missing hyphens etc.).
I would characterize this book as a broad analysis of Japan's contemporary problems rather than an in-depth analysis. Prof. Kingston covers a lot of ground (immigration, healthcare, crime, families, women in the workforce etc.) but the analysis generally does not go much further than a synopsis of the many social issues discussed so frequently, and often in considerable depth, in the Japanese media (the "working poor", child abuse in Japan, demographics etc.). For an audience that does not have access to Japanese sources, the summaries of each social problem may be of help, but for specialists and those seeking more answers, Prof. Kingston often leaves off where the analysis needs to be more precise and thorough.
For instance, on crime, Prof. Kingston subscribes, without presenting any evidence, to the liberal-fascist dogma (epitomized by The Economist magazine) that foreigners in Japan commit no more crime than the Japanese despite the perception among Japanese that an influx of foreigners will lead to a soaring of crime rates, but there is ample statistical evidence to suggest that foreigners (mainly Asian mainland gangs that have infiltrated here) are responsible for a disproportionately high percentage of serious crime (thefts, murders and burglaries). This debate needs to be examined in much greater detail if the reader is not to be left simply having to decide between foreign liberal perceptions vs. Japanese perceptions.
Further, on immigration, Prof. Kingston accepts uncritically the liberal-fascist dogma that Japan needs much more immigration (although he acknowledges that the Japanese don't like the idea) and extols the merits of immigration for Japan without examining the considerable number of negatives associated with mass/large-scale immigration. A deeper analysis would also take into account these negatives, which were articulated most eloquently by Anthony Browne (in his essay, "The Folly of Mass Immigration"), whose arguments would strike a chord with most Japanese. Japan is such a pleasant place to live in partly because it is not diverse, but racially and culturally homogeneous to a high degree. One of the results of this is that there is a delightful lack of religious, racial and ethnic tensions so common and tiresome elsewhere. A deeper analysis needs to examine how this harmony can be maintained, and how the problems with mass immigration being manifested in, say Europe, can be avoided, without enforcing a dogma of "diversity is good" on Japan (especially at a time when Europeans are now starting to acknowledge that multi-culturalism "doesn't work") and while addressing its problems with alleged labor/skill shortages in certain areas.
All in all, a good light read that will bring readers up to speed on the main social issues facing Japan. Think of Contemporary Japan as a primer that prepares the reader for the in-depth debates on Japan's future that lie ahead.
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