The Political History of Modern Japan: Foreign Relations and Domestic Politics

by Kitaoka Shinichi, Robert Eldridge (Translator), Graham Leonard (Translator)

Spanning the 130-year period between the end of the Tokugawa Era and the end of the Cold War, this book introduces students to the formation, collapse, and rebirth of the modern Japanese state. It demonstrates how, faced with foreign threats, Japan developed a new governing structure to deal with these challenges and in turn gradually shaped its international environment. Had Japan been a self-sufficient power, like the United States, it is unlikely that external relations would have exercised such great control over the nation. And, if it were a smaller country, it may have been completely pressured from the outside and could not have influenced the global stage on its own. For better or worse therefore, this book argues, Japan was neither too large nor too small. Covering the major events, actors, and institutions of Japan’s modern history, the key themes discussed This book, written by one of Japan's leading experts on Japan's political history, will be an essential resource for students of Japanese modern history and politics.

Genres: Politics, Japan

274 pages, Paperback

Published October 10, 2018

Reviews

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, the best introduction to modern Japanese political history out there, covering 1868- the early 1990s. I wish that it was a bit longer, and went into more depth at times, but I cannot fault its great surveying of the subject.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

It may be called The Political History of Modern Japan: Foreign Relations and Domestic Politics, but I didn't get much of a sense of domestic policy, with a handful of exceptions. It often felt overly burdened with the need to list all the governments that seemed to come and go every 18 months or so (Japan has had 99 prime ministerships since 1885 and 126 emperors in over two millennia), rarely finding the time to say much about what any of them did internally beyond raising taxes.

On the international front, much more is said. I feel I've come away from a topic about which I had known only a general outline with a much firmer grasp. The opening chapters I found especially helpful and has made a lot of other stray pieces of knowledge I've accumulated make more sense.

One fascinating aspect of the book was the author. He is Japanese, while almost all the perspectives that we hear in North America come from white people, mostly men. The sections where he discussed issues affecting the West about which I'm already very familiar were refreshing in offering an outsider's view. However, these were few and far between.

[Arvydas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I started reading this book, first impression was a double-sided. On one hand, modern history of Japan from the political perspective is a well-discussed subject. What new could be said about it? However, knowing the high profile of the author, I was intrigued.
After reading it, the double-sidedness remained. First, as the author confesses about it in the preface, this is a textbook dealing with the modern political history of Japan. This might explain why a period with an enormous abundance of events was compactly placed into 187 pages. Prof. Kitaoka feels a bit guilty for such a concise format but the good intentions had to fit in a limited number of pages.
Second, since it is a textbook, prof. Kitaoka reflects the mainstream narrative of the subject. Author did not seek to present groundbreaking findings but he did add some personal interpretations of the events. This is perfectly in harmony with the purpose of the book – to provide the reader the basic knowledge about the period. For those, thirsty for more, Prof. Kitaoka provides a lengthy list of recommended publications (18 pages in total) mostly in Japanese and some in English. Also, the end of the book gives a detailed chronological table of events between 1792 and 1989. 50 pages of dates will suffice even the most meticulous readers.
Third, as it is the political history of Japan, the governmental politics of Japan are covered with an exceptional precision. Those readers who are willing to dig more into the dynamics of party policies of both pre- and post-war Japan (especially the LDP case), should definitely pay notice at this book.
Lastly, the best compliments should be expressed to the translators. All the text is easy to read and even easier to understand. The political history of modern Japan became one-step closer to a global reader.
Nevertheless, some points could be improved. Although it is a revised and updated version of the original 1989 textbook, the decision to include the situation of former colonies is a questionable one. In my opinion, adding first 20 years of Heisei era could have been more convincing upgrade. Also, the mid-20th century events seem to lack more detailed explanations, especially the World War II part. Prof. Kitaoka’s wanted to provide the political history focusing to the domestic politics and he succeeded; this is not to say that the international perspective is forgotten – not at all. It is there, only not as detailed as one would like it to be.
Eventually, in order to understand better this complicated and highly controversial period, the reader needs to look broader. By doing so, the intention of Prof. Kitaoka to make the readers “more interested in modern Japan as a result of this book” will be granted.

[Bookworm98 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was informative and very much surface level information which I used to find a start for my topic (Bakumatsu period)