Inventing Japan: The Making of a Postwar Civilization PDF
Preview Inventing Japan: The Making of a Postwar Civilization
INVENTING JAPAN ------------------• -------------------- TheMakingof a Postwar Civilization William Chapman PRIM Id H A I L PR L SS New York London Toronto Sydney Tokyo Singapore PRENTICE HALL PRESS 15 Columbus Circle New York, New York, 10023 Copyright © 1991 by William Chapman All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. PRENTICE HALL PRESS and colophons are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Chapman, William, 1930- Inventing Japan : the making of a postwar civilization / by William Chapman, p., cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-13-942921-2 1. Japan—Civilization—1945- 2. Japan—Civilization —American influences. J. Title. DS822.5.C453 1991 952.04—dc20 91-2990 CIP Designed by Richard Oriolo Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 First Edition For Christine Contents Preface ix 1 Surviving 1 2 Starting Over 20 3 Trials of the Spirit 46 4 The Price of Independence 64 5 The Miracle Machine 90 6 The Business Culture 119 7 Politics: The Game Across the Street 143 8 "Rich Nation, Poor People" 168 9 Old Values, New Money 188 10 Touches of Rebellion 207 11 The Myths of Nationalism 231 12 The Odd Man Out 254 13 The Odd Couple 272 14 Japan Adrift 295 Notes 308 Index 321 Preface This book is an attempt to portray the Japanese as they have lived tire period since the end of World War II. I have described some of the changes that came upon Japan in the crucial first years after the defeat, and have tried to show how those events determined what was to follow as Japan recovered and became rich. The theme, roughly put, is that the Occupation period was a great divide for the Japanese people. 1 heir country was fundamentally remolded in those early years, and what Japan is today is largely the result of what flowed from that exciting and remarkably creative period. T his would seem an obvious conclusion except for the fact that so many observers—Japanese and foreigners, scholars and ordinary people—enjoy depicting today’s Japan as an extension of her more distant past. During my fourteen years in Tokyo I have sometimes suspected that some conspiracy exists to interpret almost anything that IX
The list of books you might like
