Full Description
This book provides undergraduate and graduate students with an interdisciplinary compendium written by a number of leading specialists on contemporary Japan. Chapters reflect the standards of rigorous scholarly work, but also exceed them in their accessibility of language and engagement with concerns relevant to non-specialists. The probing analysis of key debates and issues confronting Japan make this ideal for college courses and an essential reference work on Japan/Asia for libraries.
This book encompasses a range of disciplines in the social sciences and thus will be useful for a variety of courses including Comparative Politics, Media Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, Asian Studies, International Relations, Public Policy, Healthcare, Education, Judicial Reform, Gender and Minority Studies. The strength of this volume is in the collective efforts of accomplished experts providing in-depth analysis and up-to-date comprehensive coverage of Japan in the 21st century. Students will gain the analytical insights and information necessary to assess the challenges that confront the Japanese people, policymakers and private and public sector institutions.
Key issues covered in this volume include:
* Rapidly Aging society
* Changing Employment system
* Energy policy-Nuclear and Renewable
* Gender discrimination
* Immigration
* Ethnic minorities
* Trade policy
* Civil society
* Rural Japan
* Okinawa
* Post-3.11 Tsunami, earthquake, nuclear meltdown developments
* Internationalization
* Sino-Japanese relations
* East Asia's divisive history
Contents
Introduction Jeff Kingston
Part 1: Political Environment
1. Japanese Politics: Mainstream or Exotic? Arthur Stockwin
2. The Politics of Trade Policy Aurelia George Mulgan
3. Limiting Fundamental Rights Protection in Japan - The Role of the Supreme Court Lawrence Repeta
4. Civil Society: Past, Present, and Future Akihiro Ogawa
5. Japan's Contemporary Media David McNeill
Part 2: Nuclear and Renewable Energy
6. Revisiting the Limits of Flexible and Adaptive Institutions: The Japanese Government's Role in Nuclear Power Plant Siting Over the Post-War Period Daniel P. Aldrich
7. Who Controls Whom? Constraints, Challenges and Rival Policy Images in Japan's Post-War Energy Restructuring Paul Scalise
8. Japan's Nuclear Village: Power and Resilience Jeff Kingston
9. Japan's Renewable Power Prospects Andrew DeWit
Part 3: International Dynamics
10. Bad War or Good War? History and Politics in Postwar Japan Sven Saaler
11. Territorial Disputes with Korea and China: Small Islets, Enduring Conflicts Mark Selden
12. An Inconvenient Truce: Domestic Politics and the Russo-Japanese Northern Territories Dispute Tina Burrett
13. Okinawa Today: Spotlight on Henoko Alexis Dudden
Part 4: Social Dilemmas
14. Demographic Dilemmas, Women and Immigration Jeff Kingston
15. Reproductive Rights in Japan: Where do women stand? Tin Tin Htun
16. Hiding in Plain Sight: Minority Issues in Japan Kyle Cleveland
17. Mental Health and Therapy in Japan: Conceptions, Practices, and Challenges Sachiko Horiguchi
18. Violence in Schools: Tensions Between `the Individual' and `the Group' in the Japanese Education System Robert Aspinall
19. Hidden Behind Tokyo: Observations on the Rest of Japan John Mock
Part 5: Reforming Japan?
20. Seeking to Change Japanese Society Through Legal Reform Matthew J. Wilson
21. Parochialism - Japan's Failure to Internationalize Robert Dujarric and Ayumi Takenaka
22. What's Behind what Ails Japan David Leheny
