The prolonged downturn in the Japanese economy that began during the recessionary 1990s triggered a complex set of reactions both within Japan and abroad, reshaping not only the country’s economy but also its politics, society, and culture. In
Japan After Japan, scholars of history, anthropology, literature, and film explore the profound transformations in Japan since the early 1990s, providing complex analyses of a nation in transition, linking its present to its past and connecting local situations to global developments.
Several of the essayists reflect on the politics of history, considering changes in the relationship between Japan and the United States, the complex legacy of Japanese colonialism, Japan’s chronic unease with its wartime history, and the postwar consolidation of an ethnocentric and racist nationalism. Others analyze anxieties related to the role of children in society and the weakening of the gendered divide between workplace and home. Turning to popular culture, contributors scrutinize the avid consumption of “real events” in formats including police shows, quiz shows, and live Web camera feeds; the creation, distribution, and reception of Pokémon, the game-based franchise that became a worldwide cultural phenomenon; and the ways that the behavior of zealous fans of anime both reinforces and clashes with corporate interests. Focusing on contemporary social and political movements, one essay relates
Chapter
A Roadmap to Millennial Japan Tomiko Yoda
A Roadmap to Millennial Japan Tomiko Yoda
A Roadmap to Millennial Japan Tomiko Yoda
A Roadmap to Millennial Japan Tomiko Yoda
The University and the ‘‘Global Economy’’: The Cases of the United States and Japan Masao Miyoshi
The University and the ‘‘Global Economy’’: The Cases of the United States and Japan Masao Miyoshi
The University and the ‘‘Global Economy’’: The Cases of the United States and Japan Masao Miyoshi
The University and the ‘‘Global Economy’’: The Cases of the United States and Japan Masao Miyoshi
The University, Disciplines, National Identity: Why Is There No Film Studies in Japan? Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto
The University, Disciplines, National Identity: Why Is There No Film Studies in Japan? Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto
The University, Disciplines, National Identity: Why Is There No Film Studies in Japan? Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto
The University, Disciplines, National Identity: Why Is There No Film Studies in Japan? Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto
Japan’s Long Postwar: The Trick of Memory and the Ruse of HistoryHarry Harootunian
Japan’s Long Postwar: The Trick of Memory and the Ruse of HistoryHarry Harootunian
Japan’s Long Postwar: The Trick of Memory and the Ruse of HistoryHarry Harootunian
Japan’s Long Postwar: The Trick of Memory and the Ruse of HistoryHarry Harootunian
National Subjectivity and the Uses of Atonement in the Age of RecessionJ. Victor Koschmann
National Subjectivity and the Uses of Atonement in the Age of RecessionJ. Victor Koschmann
National Subjectivity and the Uses of Atonement in the Age of RecessionJ. Victor Koschmann
National Subjectivity and the Uses of Atonement in the Age of RecessionJ. Victor Koschmann
‘‘Give Me Japan and Nothing Else!’’:Postcoloniality, Identity, and the Traces of Colonialism Leo Ching
‘‘Give Me Japan and Nothing Else!’’:Postcoloniality, Identity, and the Traces of Colonialism Leo Ching
‘‘Give Me Japan and Nothing Else!’’:Postcoloniality, Identity, and the Traces of Colonialism Leo Ching
‘‘Give Me Japan and Nothing Else!’’:Postcoloniality, Identity, and the Traces of Colonialism Leo Ching
‘‘You Asians’’: On the Historical Role of the West and Asia Binary Naoki Sakai
‘‘You Asians’’: On the Historical Role of the West and Asia Binary Naoki Sakai
‘‘You Asians’’: On the Historical Role of the West and Asia Binary Naoki Sakai
‘‘You Asians’’: On the Historical Role of the West and Asia Binary Naoki Sakai
Revenge and Recapitation in Recessionary Japan Marilyn Ivy
Revenge and Recapitation in Recessionary Japan Marilyn Ivy
Revenge and Recapitation in Recessionary Japan Marilyn Ivy
Revenge and Recapitation in Recessionary Japan Marilyn Ivy
The ‘‘Wild Child’’ of 1990s Japan Andrea G. Arai
The ‘‘Wild Child’’ of 1990s Japan Andrea G. Arai
The ‘‘Wild Child’’ of 1990s Japan Andrea G. Arai
The ‘‘Wild Child’’ of 1990s Japan Andrea G. Arai
The Rise and Fall of Maternal Society:Gender, Labor, and Capital in Contemporary Japan Tomiko Yoda
The Rise and Fall of Maternal Society:Gender, Labor, and Capital in Contemporary Japan Tomiko Yoda
The Rise and Fall of Maternal Society:Gender, Labor, and Capital in Contemporary Japan Tomiko Yoda
The Rise and Fall of Maternal Society:Gender, Labor, and Capital in Contemporary Japan Tomiko Yoda
Representation, Reality Culture, and Global Capitalism in Japan Eric Cazdyn
Representation, Reality Culture, and Global Capitalism in Japan Eric Cazdyn
Representation, Reality Culture, and Global Capitalism in Japan Eric Cazdyn
Representation, Reality Culture, and Global Capitalism in Japan Eric Cazdyn
Monsieur le Capital and Madame la Terre Do Their Ghost-Dance:Globalization and the Nation-State Yutaka Nagahara
Monsieur le Capital and Madame la Terre Do Their Ghost-Dance:Globalization and the Nation-State Yutaka Nagahara
Monsieur le Capital and Madame la Terre Do Their Ghost-Dance:Globalization and the Nation-State Yutaka Nagahara
Monsieur le Capital and Madame la Terre Do Their Ghost-Dance:Globalization and the Nation-State Yutaka Nagahara
New-Age Fetishes, Monsters, and Friends: Pokémon Capitalismat the Millennium Anne Allison
New-Age Fetishes, Monsters, and Friends: Pokémon Capitalismat the Millennium Anne Allison
New-Age Fetishes, Monsters, and Friends: Pokémon Capitalismat the Millennium Anne Allison
New-Age Fetishes, Monsters, and Friends: Pokémon Capitalismat the Millennium Anne Allison
Otaku Movement Thomas LaMarre
Otaku Movement Thomas LaMarre
Otaku Movement Thomas LaMarre
Otaku Movement Thomas LaMarre
A Drifting World Fair: Cultural Politics of Environment in the Local/GlobalContext of Contemporary Japan Yoshimi Shunya
A Drifting World Fair: Cultural Politics of Environment in the Local/GlobalContext of Contemporary Japan Yoshimi Shunya
A Drifting World Fair: Cultural Politics of Environment in the Local/GlobalContext of Contemporary Japan Yoshimi Shunya
A Drifting World Fair: Cultural Politics of Environment in the Local/GlobalContext of Contemporary Japan Yoshimi Shunya
Angelus Novus in Millennial Japan Sabu Kohso
Angelus Novus in Millennial Japan Sabu Kohso
Angelus Novus in Millennial Japan Sabu Kohso
Angelus Novus in Millennial Japan Sabu Kohso