Showa: The Japan of Hirohito [Paperback]

Carol Gluck (Author), Stephen R. Graubard (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 17, 1993

The death of Emperor Hirohito in 1989 ended Japan's Showa era (1926–1989) and provided the occasion for the Japanese to confront their past and the roots of their present success.

This "stimulating and comprehensive" (Kirkus Reviews) collection of original essays on twentieth-century Japan's history and culture provides a unique mix of American and Japanese perspectives on Showa. With an important, substantial Introduction by Carol Gluck, the volume explores the strengths of the Japanese economy, the issue of democracy and Japan's political culture, Japan's achievements in technology and the arts, and its relations with other Asian nations and the United States.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The 16 Japanese and American scholars whose essays are collected here focus generally on three major lines of inquiry: Japan-U.S. relations during the 1926-1989 Hirohito era; Japan's path to war in the '30s and '40s; and the country's postwar achievement of "macroeconomic might." Regarding the war, the unsurprising consensus among the Japanese contributors revolves around the "system of irresponsibility" in which no one is held ultimately accountable for starting the war. As to the economic success, several contributors cite the benefits of Japan's integration into the global economy during the American occupation, the remarkable political stability of the Japanese government since 1955 and a "magic combination" of government policy, labor-management relations, aggressive entrepreneurship and hard work. Finally, the question of Japan's acceptance of responsibilities as a global economic superpower is addressed: Should Japan share some of its wealth with the Third World? Should Japan contribute significantly to the counterattack against environmental pollution? Conclusions are rarely drawn in these pages, but the debate is lively and informative. The essays originally appeared in Daedalus and simultaneously in the Japanese quarterly Asteion.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The Showa era, which constitutes the reign of the Emperor Hirohito (1926-89), is obviously one of the most important (and tumultuous) epochs in Japanese history. This collection of essays by a number of renowned experts in the field, both American and Japanese, provides a sampling of recent scholarship on the subject. (The essays were originally published in the Summer 1990 issue of Daedalus .) From the excellent overviews of the period offered by Gluck and Masataka Kosaka to more specific essays on such topics as World War II, the Occupation, postwar economic recovery, and the cultural life of the period, Showa makes a unique and interesting collection. Although the essays are academic in character, the range of topics covered and their overall level of treatment render them accessible to a general readership. Recommended for academic and larger public library Asian studies collections.
-Scott Wright, Univ. of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (August 17, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393310647
• ISBN-13: 978-0393310641
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,372,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)