Japan as the Far West (eBook)

Considering that it is the world's third-largest economy-with a long and rich history and a sophisticated culture-Japan is surprisingly little-known outside its borders. This book presents a detailed overview of key aspects of Japanese society and culture. Since the Meiji Period (1868-1912), when a famous slogan was "e;Rich Country, Strong Military"e;, Japan was rapidly able to build an empire in East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific. With the mid-19th century push to adopt European and American technology and culture, the seeds of the modern nation were sown early and thoroughly. As the book points out, another important Meiji-Era slogan was, literally, "e;Leave Asia/Enter Europe!"e; Tokyo and Yokohama were already linked by rail in 1872. In the same year, the Ministry of Education adopted the European three-tier elementary, secondary, and university system. With a century of cultural and technological advancement already behind it by the end of WW II, Japan then achieved its postwar "e;economic miracle"e;, lifting itself from defeat and penury to a point where its property market was worth four times the value of US property. We hear much about the "e;lost decade"e; of the Japanese economy after the bursting of the 1991 stock-market bubble. However, as shown here, GDP growth per worker from 2001 to 2010 still managed to outpace Europe and the United States.