The Rise of Modern Japan

by Mark J. Ravina (Mark J. Ravina)

Devastated by war, Japan in 1945 faced ruin as a major power. Yet within a quarter century it bounced back to become the second largest economy in the world after the United States. How? And why did the country’s economy then crash catastrophically in the 1990s, indefinitely stalling its seemingly unstoppable climb to world dominance? In 12 engaging, half-hour lectures, The Rise of Modern Japan answers these questions and more, profiling the changing fate of Japan and the shifting mood of its people.

Noted Japan expert Professor Mark J. Ravina of the University of Texas at Austin covers the politics, economics, and culture of the island nation since World War II - a conflict that saw the end of Japan’s dream of regional conquest, which Professor Ravina calls Empire 1.0. The country’s postwar leaders radically changed course, renouncing a strong military to pursue Empire 2.0 - Japan as an economic colossus.

In fascinating detail, The Rise of Modern Japan shows how the United States, by design and by accident, built Japan into an economic rival, especially for high-value products such as cars and consumer electronics. If Americans misjudged their protégé, then the Japanese eventually misjudged their own markets, precipitating a stock and real estate collapse starting in the 1990s. Then in 2001, a massive earthquake and tsunami struck northern Japan, leading to widespread destruction and the Fukushima nuclear power disaster.

Professor Ravina uses the plots of popular Japanese movies and novels to illustrate how people coped with their jolting experiences: first defeat in war, followed by institutional revolution, unprecedented prosperity, crushing economic reversal, and natural and nuclear disaster. Despite also facing social instability and demographic challenges, the Japanese remained as focused, hardworking, and resilient as ever.

Genres: History, Japan, Audiobook, Nonfiction, Asia, Japanese History

6 pages, Audible Audio

Published November 5, 2021

About the author

Dr. Mark J. Ravina is Professor of History at Emory University, where he has taught since 1991. He received his A.B. from Columbia University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Stanford University. He has been a visiting professor at Kyoto University’s Institute for Research in Humanities and a research fellow at Keio University and the International Research Center for Japanese Studies. He has also received research grants from the Fulbright Program, the Japan Foundation, the Academy of Korean Studies, and the Association for Asian Studies.

Professor Ravina has published extensively in early modern Japanese history, with a particular focus on the transnational and international aspects of political change. He has also published research on Japanese and Korean popular culture, Japanese economic thought, and the history of science. As a public intellectual, he has appeared on CNN, CNN International, NPR, and The History Channel.

A former director of the East Asian Studies Program at Emory University, Professor Ravina has also served as president of the Southeast Conference of the Association for Asian Studies. In addition, he is on the editorial board of The Journal of Asian Studies. Professor Ravina’s books include The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori and Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan.

Reviews

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professor and historian Mark Ravina starts this series of lectures by asserting that the Cold War began before Japan surrendered to the United States ending World War II.
These lectures logically follow Ravina’s lectures on Understanding Japan – A Cultural History https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The first lectures look at Japan’s competing visions of war entering World War II and the consequences of the settlement imposed mostly by the United States that provided Japan with a new constitution and failed to hold the Emperor in any manner accountable for the actions of the Japanese in Asia against civilians and prisoners or for the war itself.

Next, Ravina discusses the short and the long-term elements of commerce and economic policy. More than a lecture is devoted to culture as reflected in movies and literature. This addendum of lectures brings Ravina’s previous lectures on Japan’s culture, policies and conflicts up to present day.

Ravina has done some very credible research and his conclusions, may not be adopted by all, but are very persuasive in understanding how the foundational culture of the Japanese people has resulted in both their successes and failures. Having absorbed much of this, I have gained insights into the current news coming from that island country.

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rise of Modern Japan is an oddity. Individually, it doesn't necessarily work on its own, despite its stand-alone style. It's simply too short to be a comprehensive history of Japan from 1922 to 2010. Especially as resources during this period are quite plentiful. Japan goes through dramatic changes as the lecturer masterfully presents. Yet it almost seamlessly works at its function of being an extension of Mark J. Ravina's previous series, Understanding Japan, which is a cultural history. That said, it isn't a perfect transition, as certain subjects do get repeated, sometimes with the same amount of depth (though some are much more comprehensive), which makes me wish this was longer and more planned.

There's still a lot of insight, like Japan's position on why they started the war (different from how it's typically presented). Japanese relations with the US, Japan's New Constitution, and the complicated affairs of Japan's war crimes. How the trial was mostly a farce in many cases, the emperor, who was deemed one of the reasons for the atrocities caused by Japanese soldiers to a victim due to America's fear of communism sentiments might inflict Japan (as this was soon going to be the Cold War period). Anyhow, I do like that it discusses Nixon, civil society protests, and especially the car trade system. What became less interesting for me is the Japanese cinema section (as I would rather watch the movies than be spoiled!). and it just feels oddly rushed. All that being said, if I want to listen to a 6-hour history of Modern Japan Mark J. Ravina makes up for the lack of time with depth and knowledge of the subject at hand. It doesn't necessarily reach the heights of Understanding Japan, but it's a good lecture series. One inherent flaw is that a lot of this information is readily accessible through YouTube and other resources when it's discussing the modern world, which makes its usefulness less valuable compared to Understanding Japan, where sources are varied and all over the place. I'm not sure who to trust, as so much information is deliberately misleading, a myth, or propaganda.

Overall, I would say I had a good time and it was well worth my time. It worked as an extension of his prior lecture (which is fantastic!) but there are some caveats. I wouldn't recommend actually giving it full credit for it; if you have it on Audible Plus and have read the prior lecture series, definitely give it a go. If you're wondering what the subject matter the professor tackles, look up The Great Course: The Rise of Modern Japan then the website should then detail an outline of the 12 lectures, from which you can navigate to other sources.

7/10

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Covers Japan from the end of WW2 to approximately the current day. I'm very interested in Japan for a lot of reasons (their culture itself being interesting, but it is also the best model for population decrease while retaining wealth and high standards of living, plus an interesting case of a very low immigration first-world nation), and this covers a period not as well addressed elsewhere.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

In-depth history of Japan from WWII to almost the present day. Very interesting and informative.

[Justin Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Niniane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating analysis of:

- why Japan's stock market crash was worse than many other countries' crashes

- Japan's auto industry power

- politics in the past 70 years, where one party held power for a long time despite elections

- nuclear meltdown at Fukushima

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a mostly economic view history of Japan from just before World War II to the time of COVID. It helped to understand why Japan seemed so economically strong right before it collapsed economically (The Lost Decade, 1991-2001). As it turned out that would take 30 years and in some instances Japan still hasn't recovered.

Two novels in particular come to mind that saw Japan as an economic giant right before it collapsed: "Rising Sun (1992)" by Michael Crichton which was a little more strident than the movie, Rising Sun (1993). The plot is that a woman is murdered during a Japanese dinner party in Los Angeles and the Japanese insist that a particular detective run the investigation... a detective who once lived in Japan. (The undercurrent is subtle bribes and blackmail.)

The other novel is "Debt of Honor (1994)" by Tom Clancy. By 1994 it was clear how shaky (economically) Japan was at the time. The plot is that in order to avoid the collapse of the Japanese economy, Japanese businessmen start a war with the US without the knowledge of the Japan government.

I especially liked the audio lecture where retired Japanese businessmen are described as "wet leaves". They had spent so much time working that when they finally return home in retirement their wives don't quite know what to do with them. Their wives describe them as "wet leaves" stuck to their shoes.

I will probably listen to this audio course again. It takes a few times to absorb everything.

[Nicholas Driscoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not very long, but useful and informative series of lectures about the history of Japan after WWII. The lectures cover areas such as how the war ended, viewpoints on Hirohito, changing expectations for home life in Japan, the shift from just trying to survive to trying to figure out why to live, how Japanese products changed from cheap and bad to awesome, Japanese movies and how they reflect on Japanese life, the shock of Nixon opening China (and two other Nixon initiatives), the oil shock in the 1970s, the bubble economy and its causes, the bursting of the bubble economy and its continuing repercussions, the history of the LDP, and various issues around the 3/11 disaster.

The lectures helped me to think more clearly about Japan and why it is the way it is today. I found myself rewinding a lot because I would miss something or lose interest in the economics, but I still think this set of lectures is valuable.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ravina provides an excellent overview of Japanese history from World War II to the covid era. He blends his insight into Japanese history, politics, culture, economics, and US/Japan relations well. People who follow Japanese history and politics closely will find little new in this course, but it is a good refresher for those who intermittently follow Japanese politics or are new to Japan studies. The only downside is that the course is too short, at 12 lectures / six hours, to address all the topics Ravina may have covered, and in as much detail as he could have. Hopefully he has another course in mind.

[Tanner Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've listened to Dr. Ravina's lectures on Japan previously and I found them enlightening. These lectures echo the previous ones, but they are shallow in comparison. "The Rise of Modern Japan" really only serves as a high-level summary of the past 80 years of Japanese history for those unfamiliar with it. If you subscribe to the Great Courses or Audible and you're interested in Japanese history, this short, 6-hour listen is worth it. Otherwise, your time is better spent reviewing Wikipedia or watching a few short-form YouTube documentaries on Japan instead.

[Dennis Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rise of Modern Japan by Mark Ravina is a good survey, but it is a bit too short to really do too much. Japan in the postwar world is not really a story that can be told without a lot of references to the outside world, and Ravina tries his best, but I can't help but feel like there's a lot of context missing. Nixon has a prominent outside role, but what about the rest? The course doesn't - and can't - get too much into it. As for the domestic arena? There's a lot of good information here, but, again, I can't help but want more. It tries to do too much with too little time.

[Coty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and brief, yet thorough, glimpse into Japan’s history from the 1900s through present day. The presenter makes their knowledge on Japanese history very clear and offers cultural context to explain the importance of events. I found the latter half to be more intriguing while the beginning lectures could not hold my attention much due to the speed in which the presenter moves through the names of important figures that someone with no outside knowledge would have.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good overview of the history of Japan up to modern Japan. many mentions of Japan's relations with the United States China and Korea and how they change over time. Also mentions of how the JP stock market work and its past ups and downs.
Overall, informative and explains how and why Japan is the way it is presently.
Wouldn't expect anything less from The Great Courses.
(Not a necessary read for someone visiting Japan for a short time)

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid follow up to Ravina’s “Understanding Japan”, the walk through of post WWII Japan offered up more insights around the political, economic, and social developments up through the Fukushima disaster. Though short and relatively high level, the story remained interesting and the ways in which the subjects connected to the present day was very informative.

[Emily Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and interesting lecturer. I feel like I need to listen to this again, since my knowledge of the Japanese economy and modern culture is extremely limited, to better grasp much of what was being taught. It does help fill in blanks as to what was happening worldwide

[Claudette · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Audiobook) As a Japanese language teachers, I like to look at the history and culture of Japan. This is a brief modern history book. If you want something more in depth, see the author’s other course lecturers.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but excellent course on Japan's modern history, from the immediate post-war era to the present day. Concise, engaging and highly informative.

[Mathew Benham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 6hr audiobook. Half this book was great the other half was eye rolling annoying. Overall I did enjoy this book but I do not think I would recommend myself to read it twice.

[N. N. · Rating 2 out of 5]

His other lecture series is way better.

[Nathan Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the information. Great listen to break up the long drive we had.

This covers basically post WWII through at least 2020, if not more recent. A lot of good information.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super interesting. Not a hard read and covers modern quite Japan in a quick fashion.

So

[Jack Slaughter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty boring, but informative I guess.

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good survey of Japan’s growth into an economic powerhouse.

[Fin Moorhouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not 5✭ because it's only a short lecture series, but these Great Courses series are so well executed. Info-dense but more natural and so easier to follow than a book read aloud.

[Emma Pontzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Japan is a pretty cool country.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good series of lectures!

[CaptC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. I read as part of my Japan immersion effort, prior to traveling there. (They all run together for me at this late point of reviewing.)

[Ana Castillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting but the narrator needs to chill.