Postwar Japan Research Articles

The contribution of digitalization to non-inclusive growth in Japan. A Régulationist perspective on post-industrial dynamics

While inclusive growth has been considered a major characteristic of post-war Japan, this is no more the case since the early 1990s as the country transitioned to a post-industrial economy. This paper seeks to explain that digitalization is a primary drive of growing inequalities in post-industrial Japan and argues for incorporating the digital divide into the investigation of changing economic structures and growth patterns. We mobilize the Régulation theoretical framework, which posits that the impact of technology on growth and inequality regimes is not homogenous across countries and over time. Our empirical investigation combines macro-level data and institutional perspective with case study of the hospitality sector, in line with the Régulationist concept of the ‘anthropogenic’ mode of development. Our major conclusion is that digitalization, in the specific Japanese context, is leading to non-inclusive growth patterns through its effects on the wage-labour nexus, in an idiosyncratic way.

The middle class and the media in post-war Japanese mass society theory: domination, satisfaction, connection, and construction

The inconsistency between an objective socioeconomic position and subjective sense of belonging is challenging for middle class studies. Scholars have argued that the information and images the media conveys can become a ‘reference group’ influencing people’s subjective sense of belonging to the middle class, leading to subjective-objective inconsistency. However, the media—the crucial influencing factor—was always on the periphery of class research. This article demonstrates that in today’s media-saturated world, the media plays a critical role in progressively altering social structures, cognitive underpinnings, and behavioral logic; therefore, it is a key variable in class studies. The analysis of discussions on the middle class and media in post-war Japanese mass society theory reveals that some representative viewpoints remain relevant for understanding the middle class from a media perspective. This article revisits the theories of mass society in post-war Japan, and affirms the media’s role in mediating subjective and objective middle-class identities, and constructing class belongingness. It identifies four fundamental perspectives—domination, satisfaction, connection, and construction—to investigate the relationship between media and the middle class. It also highlights the potential to analyze the middle class from a media standpoint, and issues that subsequent research should address.

<b>Democracy</b><b> </b><b>and</b><b> </b><b>Prosper</b><b>ity:</b><b> </b><b>Analyzing</b><b> </b><b>Political</b><b> </b><b>Systems</b><b> </b><b>and Economic Results Through History</b>

Examining how democratic governance has impacted economic outcomes in various temporal and regional contexts, this article uses a historical lens to analyze the relationship between political democracy and economic progress. In order to investigate the fundamental mechanisms by which democracy influences economic policies and growth trajectories, this study uses a comparative historical analysis to focus on three key cases: post-war Japan, modern India, and the British Iron Revolution. By promoting improved governance, stimulating investment, and aiding in the creation of social capital, democratic institutions frequently promote economic development, according to the data. Nonetheless, the research also emphasizes how certain historical, cultural, and socioeconomic elements play a major mediating role in how well democracy fosters economic progress.

“Closing Time”: Discordant Temporalities of Japan's Postwar in David Peace's Tokyo Trilogy

Abstract While David Peace's epic Tokyo Trilogy concentrates on the years after Japan's defeat in 1945 and the city of Tokyo as a classic crime scene, this essay proposes that the traditional pursuit of detection recedes in importance compared to the time of the “postwar,” a new category of periodization initiated by the military occupation, which would become the temporal scaffolding of the renewing of Japanese society. This category was situated at the temporal crossroads of a newly imagined “democratic” Japan and the legacy of a ruined prewar landscape, still signifying the power of the past in the present. In Peace's narrative, the effort to solve the crimes is constantly mediated and played out in the tensions between “Old Japan” and “New Japan,” resulting in a repetition of what Japan had been since its modernization, a reservoir of contemporary noncontemporaneity.

Introduction: Postwar Japan as Occult History—David Peace's Tokyo Trilogy

Introduction: Postwar Japan as Occult History—David Peace's Tokyo Trilogy

Culture after Catastrophe: A Conversation with David Peace on the Tokyo Trilogy

Abstract In this conversation with Max Ward, David Peace discusses his motivations for writing the Tokyo Trilogy, the historical research that went into it, and the political questions related to postwar Japan that he wanted to pursue. They then discuss the responsibility of historical crime fiction, as well as the literary, cultural and philosophical sources that influence Peace's unique style of what he calls “occult history.” The conversation took place on December 15, 2023, and the transcript was subsequently edited and annotated for content and readability.

Policing the Catastrophe: History and Conspiracy in David Peace's Tokyo Trilogy

Abstract This essay focuses on the police protagonists in David Peace's Tokyo Trilogy and the historical mediations they perform in the worlds of the novels. It argues that these mediations are generated by the way Peace subverts the conventional narrative structure of historical detective fiction: rather than moving toward resolution—solving a crime—the object of detection is continually displaced to conspiracies with historical and political implications, thereby constituting different temporalities that do not move forward but rather repeat, circulate, or are perpetually delayed. Underlying these repetitions, transmissions, and premonitions are historical-political legacies of Japanese empire, war, and American anti-communist conspiracies, which open toward a critical-conspiratorial understanding of postwar Japan.

Against the As-It-Is: An Inquiry into Sculptural Bodies in Recent Japan

This article aims to propose the way of an interpretation on recent sculptural works in Japan, especially ones with bodily figuration. Although they would share some features with artistic production outside the country and the proposed approach is not comprehensive considering variegated contemporary sculptural practices, it is suggestive that there was a historical situation where artists criticized the human-based representation of the world and turn to a kind of naturalism, as led by Mono-ha in the context of postwar Japan. Some succeeding sculptors have struggled against the naturalism that demands to leave things as it is.

Showcasing Japan A Journey of Japanese Identity through Archaeology and Ancient Art Exhibitions in Italy

To what extent does the narrative of Japan’s prehistorical origins matter to Italy? In the second half of the twentieth century, Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome hosted two significant exhibitions dedicated to Japanese archaeology and ancient art: Tesori dell’Arte Giapponese in 1958 and Il Giappone prima dell’Occidente in 1995. Both displays provided Italian visitors with an unparalleled framework to engage with early artistic manifestations of the archipelago known today as Japan. Built on a critical analysis of the prehistoric and protohistoric artefacts from the Jōmon to Kofun periods selected for the Italian audience, this paper examines the active application of narrative discourse on Japan’s identity by the Japanese government in Italy. Still, it also sheds light on the presence of Japanese archaeology and art in Italian public and private collections throughout the twentieth century. The analysis delves into the textual and visual presentation of exhibits, examining both the venue and catalogues. These sources offer insights into potential instances of orientalism or self-orientalism, revealing a narrative closely tied to stereotypical views. The investigation unravels aspects of Japan’s past emphasised in diplomatic shows, evolving alongside ground-breaking archaeological discoveries in post-war Japan.

Doubly marginalized? Japanese gay men with interracial desires

Postwar Japan has built a new self-image as a peaceful, ethnically homogeneous island nation, obscuring the imperialist past. In this context, same-ethnic/racial partnering or so-called ethnic endogamy has been reinforced, whether gay or straight, as a normative sexual desire and practice. Japanese people who engage in intimate relationships with foreigners are potentially considered deviant and subject to social marginalization. Drawing on in-depth interview data, this research focuses on the experiences of Japanese gay men with such peripheral desires, examining how they negotiate their partner preferences when encountering social disapproval or stigma. Further, this research also discusses how their racialized desire intersects with their queer sexuality, simultaneously resisting and perpetuating same-ethnic/racial partnering normativity.

Please Walk on This: Gutai and the Emergence of Walkable Art

Abstract This essay traces the emergence of ‘walkable art’, a term used to describe works of fine art made to be walked on by audiences. Focusing on the two earliest examples of such works, created respectively by Gutai artists Shōzō Shimamoto and Akira Kanayama in 1955 and 1956, it argues that the rise of walkable art evinced an attempt to mediate the reconstruction of human subjectivity in postwar Japan through a close engagement with bipedalism. By offering a new model for conceptualising a spectator’s relationship to ground-based works, the category of walkable art that emerged in mid-1950s Japan challenges canonical, Euroamerican-centric narratives of horizontality. It also attests to the expanded interest among postwar artists from the Americas, Asia and Europe in using the ground to develop new approaches for displaying and experiencing art.

Performance as Apology: Deconstructing the Legacy of the Japanese Empire in Shin’ya Eiko’s Shinsetaryon

ABSTRACT This article explores the historical narrative of Zainichi Koreans in the Japanese actress Shin’ya Eiko’s solo performance of Shinsetaryon in an attempt to reflect on the decolonisation process between Japanese and Koreans in postwar Japan. In Shinsetaryon, the Zainichi Korean protagonist, Sin Yŏng-suk, narrates her life story interwoven with historical incidents in Japan and Korea during and after Japanese colonial rule. I argue that Shin’ya treated her performance as an apology for her ignorance of the plight of Zainichi Koreans, who have struggled politically and socially in both imperial and post-imperial Japan. She continually revised the script to include her growing understanding about unseen others in the narrative, positing herself as an aggressor who did not completely understand the formerly colonised Koreans. Through these revisions Shin’ya clarified her sense of distance from the Zainichi Korean protagonist, which was essential if her performance was to constitute an apology. She also challenged the idea of the linguistic hierarchy between the Japanese and Korean languages, which is a legacy of Japan’s assimilation policy during the colonial period. In doing so, Shinsetaryon suggested the possibility of remembering the Japanese empire in multiple ways without assimilation between the former coloniser and the colonised.

The ‘Reischauer Offensive’: A Scholar-Diplomat’s Challenge to Japan’s Leftist Intellectuals, 1961–1966

Abstract The article discusses Edwin O. Reischauer’s role in the scholarly debates on the modern history of Japan during his ambassadorship from 1961 to 1966. It challenges Takeshi Matsuda’s recent interpretation in his Soft Power, and Its Perils: U.S. Cultural Policy in Early Postwar Japan and Permanent Dependency that the “Reischauer Offensive” aimed to make Japan feel subservient, creating “a psychology of dependence.” The article argues instead that Reischauer’s efforts for “equal partnership” and his scholarly challenge to Marxists' interpretation brought a culture of open debate in Japan.

Education Reform in Post-War Japan: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Policies, Impact, and Historical Context (1945–1952)

Education Reform in Post-War Japan: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Policies, Impact, and Historical Context (1945–1952)

Simon Avenell. Asia and Postwar Japan: Deimperialization, Civic Activism, and National Identity.

Simon Avenell. <i>Asia and Postwar Japan: Deimperialization, Civic Activism, and National Identity</i>.

Transformative Narratives: Generational Gaps in Post-War Japan Through the Cinematic Lens of Tokyo Monogatari and Ohayo

The research delves into the profound generational divides depicted in Yasujir Ozu's Tokyo Monogatari and Ohayo, providing a captivating cinematic exploration of post-war Japans transformative landscape. Through an intricate synthesis of cinematic narratives and history analysis, it meticulously examines the contrasting attitudes towards material fulfillment, evolving social norms, and shifting patriarchal dynamics portrayed in these masterpieces. Yasujir Ozu, widely regarded as one of Japans most influential filmmakers, captured the complexities of generational dynamics and societal transformation during the tumultuous era of reconstruction in the 1950s in Japan. By scrutinizing these themes in depth, the essay offers profound insights into the complexities of post-war Japanese identity, shedding light on the intricate interplay between tradition and modernity during the pivotal era of reconstruction in the 1950s. Through its nuanced examination of these multifaceted themes, the essay provides a comprehensive understanding of the enduring generational gaps that emerged in Japanese society during the 1950s, inviting readers to contemplate the intricate dynamics shaping the nations narrative during a crucial juncture in its history.

Toward a Critical Non-Humanism in Postwar Japan

Toward a Critical Non-Humanism in Postwar Japan

전후 일본의 논단(論壇)과 지식인 ― 1960년대 종합잡지의 쇠락과 전후지식인의 퇴장 ―

전후 일본의 논단(論壇)과 지식인 ― 1960년대 종합잡지의 쇠락과 전후지식인의 퇴장 ―

Do not forget the state! The supposed state free self-regulatory system in post-war Japan

ABSTRACT This paper analyses the role of the state in the self-regulatory system in postwar Japan. While the New Censorship Theory argues that censorship is an essential and ubiquitous part of everyday communication, this paper contends that the state retains the power to impose punitive measures against authors and publishers even when censorship appears to bypass the state by becoming self-regulatory. The case of the self-regulatory system in Japan confirms that censorship in Japan is indisputably imposed externally by the state. The paper concludes that the persistent power of the state in regulating thought, speech, and discourse should not be overlooked, and it discusses some implications of this power in our everyday lives.

«Зворотній курс» у політиці США щодо Японії 1947-1952 рр.

The purpose of the research is to analyze the evolution of the foreign policy course of the USA in relation to post-war Japan and to show the economic, political, and strategic achievements of the "Reverse Course". The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, comprehensiveness and multi-vectority, objectivity and systematicity. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that Ukrainian historiography on the issue of the history of post-war Japan is extremely small and has a number of white spots, in particular, on the issue of cooperation between the Japanese government and the American military administration. Conclusions. American policy in Japan proves that yesterday's enemy can become a potential partner and, even more so, an ally in the future. Having paid a bloody price for the victory, the USA began radical reforms in Japan, which were aimed, at least in the first period of occupation, at the demilitarization and deindustrialization of yesterday's enemy. However, practice has shown that building a strong and structural economy, liberalizing and democratizing political processes work much more effectively. After the end of the Korean War, Japan's economy started to grow steadily and very soon led to the famous "economic miracle." Modern Japan is a successful democratic state that ranks among the top five in terms of GDP and other economic indicators and is a pioneer in the latest technologies and science. The example of Japan, in our opinion, is indicative and proves that a country that has survived a devastating war with terrible losses can recover if deep and comprehensive reforms are carried out in all social, political, cultural, and economic spheres.