In this stimulating and comprehensive essay collection (originally
published as the Summer 1990 issue of Daedalus, which Graubard
edits), distinguished American and Japanese scholars debate the
significance of the "Showa" era - the reign of Emperor Hirohito,
from 1925 to 1989 - in Japanese history. Ironically, "Showa" means
"enlightened peace" - a term, the authors (including nine Americans
and seven Japanese) make clear, that could not be less appropriate
for this period in which Japan fought a world war, suffered
ignominious defeat and occupation for the first time in its
history, and subsequently rose to become the world's preeminent
economic power. Ushered in with a lengthy introduction by Gluck
(History/Columbia), the 16 essays offer as their main themes the
causes of the war, the reasons for postwar growth, and the
paradoxes in Japanese-US relations. The authors who address the
issue of war (e.g., Masataka Kosaka: International Politics/Kyoto
Univ.) see the conflict primarily as a Japanese reaction to vast
British, Soviet, and American empires around Japan, and partially
as the product of domestic forces (the weak constitutional
structure and politically impotent imperial system, which left a
power vacuum filled by military leaders). Regarding postwar growth,
authors (e.g., Herbert Passim: Sociology/Columbia) tend not to
emphasize Japanese ingenuity but to stress the unique history of
American involvement in the Japanese economy, as well as policies
imposed by the postwar government to encourage production and
discourage consumption. The American influence is a major theme
here, and there is a consensus among the authors that the
American-Japanese relationship will continue to be of major
significance for the economic well-being of both countries.
Primarily for its rare mix of American and Japanese perspectives,
an important contribution to our understanding of both Japan and
Japanese-American relations. (Kirkus Reviews)
Showa is a useful collaborative American-Japanese exercise. Joint ventures can work." —Daily Mainichi 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.
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