Japan's aggressive economic development has led many Americans
to fear that it will lead to an equally aggressive nationalism
reminiscent of the pre-World War II period. Beyond the Rising Sun
demonstrates that such fears are unfounded. Although cultural
nationalism is strong, Japan today is a stable and peaceful
democracy. Professionals, academics, government officials, business
people, and the general public will find this challenge to many
current views about Japanese politics, people, and U.S.-Japanese
relations provocative.
There has long been concern that Japan's aggressive economic
development might be a harbinger of an equally aggressive
nationalism, reminiscent of the dark era leading up to World War
II. The media has fueled the image of a newly aggressive Japan by
using martial metaphors such as Samurai capitalism that is invading
American markets. Moreover, the Japanese are also portrayed as
subservient members of a conformist society manipulated by
political authority. However, a long-time resident in Japan and
scholar on U.S.-Japanese relations argues that contemporary
Japanese nationalism has no connection to its prewar embodiment and
fears of an authoritarian and aggressive Japan have no basis in
reality. Of the many changes in Japan since the end of the war, the
most significant has been the development of a deeply ingrained
democratic political culture.
Although a strong force in Japan today, nationalism is
manifested by a strong ethnic, cultural, and racial identification
and not by citizen identification with the state. By examining the
wide varieties of nationalism in contemporary Japan and by
explaining the role that they play in society and politics,
academics, professionals, government officials, business people,
and the general public will find this analysis invaluable for
understanding contemporary Japan. This short text is designed also
for use in courses in Japanese politics, contemporary Japanese
society and culture, and U.S.-Japanese relations.
General
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