Customer Reviews

Japan Unbound: A Volatile Nation's Quest for Pride and Purpose

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While Alex Kerr's "Dogs and Demons" harped on about the travails of the Japanese construction industry, John Nathan picks on a social axe to grind. Which makes for an indulging read indeed, although the supporting evidence is occasionally lacking and the inferences about the future are to the tune of "It's unpredictable, time will tell."

You've probably read other authors crunch economic data or political misgivings of the sushi nation, but Nathan turns his gaze to schools, novels, manga comic books, and the minds of young entrepreneurs and maverick local politicians. Is Japan's notoriously conformist society finally giving in to the longstanding recession? How is this affecting national identity?

We first take up the issue of social corrosion. No surprise there, Japan is in a crisis. An incisive lens is directed at the schooling system, which is now a hotpot of truancy, felonies, alienation, angst amongst increasingly wayward kids. Sadly, parents are woefully underprepared to handle these issues, as are school authorities.

Next we take the jingoistic extremism and of course, as people close to Japan may expect, the whacky governor of Tokyo Ishihara comes up, contrasted to the softer Tanaka of Nagano. A third person in the fray, the popular cartoonist Kobayashi, contends that Japan should in fact drop its US-linked past and become more self-assured. All of this makes for a very pithy discussion, but there may be little here that's new to people who follow Japanese news. To others, these essays alone alone are reason to grab the book.

Now for the minor gripes. The section that highlights the growing capitalism cites the same pseudo-successful entrepreneurs to claim that Japan is becoming more entrepreneurial: Masayoshi and Oki Matsumoto (sigh, Monex!). To be fair, Japan does have a growing list of people stringing out on their own, but a recent Nikkei Weekly article did a much less sycophantic job of enumerating more convincing and down-to-earth examples.

The author also gives in to sweeping statements such as his claim of America's encouragement to Japan to beef up its nuclear arsenal in order to egg China into getting involved with the North Korea issue. Where did this come from?

Finally, be warned that the tone of the book in general is somewhat murky, and there is preciously little in terms of What Next, or How To Deal With It.

Forgivable weaknesses? May be. For me, the book was an insightful read. At the very least, it'll equip you with interesting little tidbits for those Oh-Japan dinner conversations. In particular people who don't have the time to follow Japanese news on a regular basis will probably find this book eye-opening.

A worthy purchase.

The central question that "Japan Unbound" explores is why the Japanese collectively are obsessed with their identity. Nathan makes an interesting point that one could argue that at the center of the individual and collective psyche is a void. He profers up some examples of different perspectives of people that he interviews -- troubled youths, tormented educators, happy families, dysfunctional families, etc. He devotes a chapter to each of the governor of Tokyo prefecture and the mayor of Nagano, both very interesting and inspiring characters in their own light, whose profiles (and the public reactions they illicit) shed a very intimate light on different and distinctive aspects of the Japanese character.

That being said, the question of from where the void emerged and what might fill it is never satisfactorily explored on its own. We wanders in a rather unfocused manner from one Japanese obsession to another: American-worship, materialism and consumerism, ultra-nationalism. Answers are only hinted at through examples that Nathan uncovers through journalistic interviews. I admittedly have my own thesis which colors my review, however, which is that the void is the result of the destruction of Japan's religion at the end of WWII -- a state religion based on Emperor worship as the devine entity of the unique Japanese people. This reality should not be underestimated. The void at the center, I would argue, is a spiritual, and the spiritual hunger that longs for fulfillment has found collective expression in Japan through various attempts at "Americanization", excessive consumerism, extreme fad-ism, and nostalgic ultranationalism. Nathan somewhat blithely assumes the confidence that Americans have is a result of our culture of individuality. But I think that ignores the important and defining role that the judeo-christian tradition played in defining the western psyche. By missing that connection, he missed an opportunity to explore in greater depth the question that he tackles in this book.

Another oddity about the book is some equally blithe comments in the epilogue about how Japan is turning away from America and towards Asia, particularly China, in its continuing search for identity. And he draws the fact that Chinese tea shops are popular as an example (even though Starbucks, he admits, is even more popular). Again, Nathan misses the irony in his assessment. China also once had a society organized around a emperor who was considered devine. The Confucian order that Japan imported from China fit dovetailed nicely with the Shinto basis of Japan's imperial-religious system because it provided a social order as an expression of the spiritual "reality" of the state devine organization. However, China cast off its system much earlier than Japan did (aided by the fact that the last dynasty was of foreign invaders). China, too, has gone through a similar identity crisis which continues to this day, which often manifests itself in ultranationalism as well.

Thus, I would argue that the feeling of the void is the continuing expression of a sense of loss that occurred after the emperor was discovered to be mortal, which turned on its head the entire religious system which the state was based on. So Nathan may have benefited if he had explored this further, and perhaps explored the appeal (or lack thereof) of cults and alternative religions.

I would recommend for the serious student to also consider reading "Embracing Defeat." I found that to be one of the best books I've read about understanding Japan today, even though it only covers the immediate post-war era.

A general observation: "Japan Unbound" is hybrid of literary criticism and journalism. That's not a bad thing though. I thought it interesting that author repeatedly draws reference back to the writer Yukio Mishima (regarding whom Nathan also wrote a biography, which I have not read). I did in fact learn a lot from this book about Japan, and I think Nathan's perspective and thoughts will benefit anyone trying to better understand Japan. In particular, he illustrates the Japanese celebration of the bittersweet beauty of impermanence quite well. Moreover, he does a good job of bringing to life the characters that he covers, and he selects them well. I would recommend this read for anyone interested in expanding their understanding of Japan, although it is far from a definitive account.

Let me start by saying that I am a big fan of Prof. Nathan's biography of Yukio Mishima, especially Nathan's lucid prose and "insider's" knowledge. However, I am of two minds with his latest venture Japan Unbound.

On one hand, I revel at Prof. Nathan's clarity, keen observations, and passion for his subject. (If nothing else, it is fast paced and interesting: I, a slow reader at best, read it in two sittings.)

On the proverbial other hand, I have two (perhaps petty) axes to grind. First, his use of "case studies," such as the "typical" family in Osaka, seems more geared to proving his own thesis about changing societal values than shedding any light on contemporary realities.

Second, and this may indeed be a small gripe, I was both shocked and dismayed at Nathan's depiction of the bully Shintaro Ishihara (Gov. of Tokyo) as a macho, caring guy full of sensitivity for the general public (a real "sun king") while lambasting the hugely popular Yasuo Tanaka, a down-to-earth grassroots reformer, as effiminate and foppish and describing how (for what reason, I dunno) the tips of Tanaka's fingers shake like Tiny Tim's during times of stress. I suppose Prof. Nathan is just trying to realign the scales a bit, that is, to go against the norm (i.e., the typical American academic and media representation of Ishihara as a "facist" and Tanaka as a "freedom fighter") which is fair enough, but it struck me as yet another "case study" to prove a (seemingly) nonexistence point.

Though it is a page-turner in its own right, I kept wondering throughout the book what exactly were Prof. Nathan's motivations for writing it: what is his point after all is said and done? Is this book meant purely as personal asides and self-promotion? (How many times do we need to read that he went to Tokyo University?) Or is it in fact a personal attempt to really understand "his" notion of modern Japan?

As good as this book is, and as easily as it reads (and remains a fine general background for the lay reader), I cannot help that thinking that the former is true, and hence, my somewhat harsh rating. I suppose most readers will find something of value in it, though, and probably enjoy it more than I did.

John Nathan has written an interesting book. In a way, this book shows how academics have lost control of the debate about Japan. It's no longer necessary to be a Harvard Ph.D. (like Nathan) in order to get an insider's view of the Japanese public school system. Nathan's chapter on what he discovered at a mediocre public school on the outskirts of Tokyo will seem like yesterday's news to any young American, Canadian, Australian, etc. who has taught within the confines of the system. Nathan also writes at length about how, in the 1960s, Japanese were shocked by his fluency in their native language. But times have changed, and Japanese today are much more accustomed to non-Japanese possessing at least a degree of proficiency in their language. The book's best chapters (they all deal with different subjects, so you can skip around rather than reading straight from page one to the end) deal with Yasuo Tanaka and Shintaro Ishihara, two writers-turned-politicians. This isn't surprising, since Nathan is a literature expert. The book contains many minor factual errors, but overall it's worth reading. I found it quite balanced and objective, a good antidote to those books that claim Japan is about to sink into the Pacific Ocean.

I have met many visitors to Japan who are extremely impressed with the hospitality and the politeness of the people. The society itself is also a highly advanced technologically and its people enjoy a high standard living that most enjoy. However, what Nathan does is that he takes his readers to a troubled Japan that is seldom seen by the outsiders. Nathan does his best to present the reasons why Japan is in the state it is in. Although it has one of the world's strongest economies, there is a sense of despair that many Japanese feel despite its modernity.

As Nathan points out, it is a country that is still seeking to define itself in many ways, and this is clearly seen among the young adults in Japan. I believe that Nathan's views Japan's societal problems mostly stemming from a spiritual void (although he does not use this term). This void exists in Japan largely due to its defeat of the Pacific War and the Emperor renouncing his claims of deity. Nationally, during the Pacific War, the Emperor was the rallying cause for the country and there has been no cause to arise from that time.

The generation that grew up after the war had a clear goal in mind which was to rebuild the country. Now that the country has been rebuilt, there appears to be no national cause to give oneself. The pursuit of most Japanese is individual prosperity and its people have adopted a materialistic philosophy that has not adequately filled that void. This is displayed in the lives of many broken families, absentee fathers, and a growing number of purposeless young people that Nathan documents in this book. Despite this though there are a few individuals in various stratas that are seeking to influence the future direction of Japan.

Although many of the examples that Nathan provides are extreme, such problems and people are commonly known in Japan. It was a very perceptive and informative read, about a country that is still attempting to redefine itself amongst its own people and in the modern world at large.

Japan's history and culture is deeply rooted in its 1400 years of interaction and trade with its Asian neighbors, and especially with China during after the Tang dynasty of 618 to 907. This Asian orientation was the basis and has strongly influenced the development of Japan and contributed to the Japanese "identity". This Asian orientation continued until 1853 when Japan embraced both its past and while simultaneously embarked on a new path to absorb and adopted western or modern technology and culture during the so called Meiji period named after the emperor of that period. This continued until 1945 when its empire crumbled in war. With a fresh start but with its industrial infrastructure and with many government agencies and educational system still somewhat in tact after the war, it entered the second phase of its modern development becoming the world's leading financial power and creditor nation by the late 1980's. But after this financial run up the economy stalled, stocks and real estate prices fell sharply, and Japan entered a decade and half long period of economic stagnation and adjustment.

That brings us to this new 250 page book. The author is a Japanese speaking Harvard educated American scholar with four decades of Japanese experience. He has lived in Japan for many years and is eminently qualified to write the book. The book is short and uses a combination of interviews, personal observations, and references to Japanese writings to provide a sense of a country in transition.

He discusses the issue of the "unique" cultural identity, the politics, youth violence, the modern Japanese corporation in a state of flux, the family, and a number of other subjects. It is clear from the book that Japan is in the midst of another change or renewal. The people are turning again to nationalism, seeking pride in their country, and have a desire to re-establish Japan as a country respected by China and America but working more independently. In the background are lurking many social changes and a breakdown in the school systems, unemployment, changes in the family, and a dramatic increase in youth crime rates - all that are new for Japan that was previously a strongly structured and a more predictable society.

This is a well written book. It manages to be both educate and entertain with many stories, insights, and humor. It brings up to date on what is happening in Japan today in 2004.

This book is really interesting in that it highlights some of the issues Japan is grappling with at present. I do feel that Nathan presents things in an idealistic way when it meets his own views - as with the example of the apple orchardists in central Nagano prefecture. They might seem more connected to him - but perhaps that is what he wanted to see? There are certainly disconnected families in Nagano, despite the appearance of tradition.
On the whole its interesting and good to see some discussion of Japan's internal issues.

Japan Unbound is a must read for anyone trying to understand Japanese culture today. This book looks at the economic, social and political transitions taking place in the post boom years of Japan. I did not go into this book expecting to like it, but was forced to reconsider this position with every page.

The book provides a first look at changes in Japan's past 60 years, focusing on the situation of the country's soul at the end of 2002. Personally, I think the author was a bit negative about the future prospects of Japan, emphasazing the problems of families and education. Even if things are changing in Japan, the country, on my view, is still the most accountable in the World. For people who wants to understand the country and how it became what it is now, the book is a good start, providing a solid beggining from which further reading should follow.

I liked this book very much. It was an eye opener to me because I had no idea that the school system was in such trouble and that the young people were dropping out of school or becoming violent. This seems pretty bad since Japan has the most rapidly aging society and they expect one day for there to be one worker for every retired person. Pretty depressing.

One thing that was also a surprise was Shintaro Ishihara's response to 9/11. He seems to think that American's are whining. And the Japanese resent the parallels to Pearl Harbor.

I like his references to Japanese authors. I've read many of the books he has translated, especially Oe. So, all in all its worth reading.