Modern History of Japan II

Ryoichi Imai

Kyushu University

 

2021/06/12

 

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New Schedule for Spring 2021

Contents

1.    Course Outline

2.    Organization, Attendance, and Other Requirements

3.    Pre-requisites

4.    Assessment Details

5.    Schedule and Readings

Course Outline

The course is designed to provide some introductory knowledge of Japanese history. This is a continuation of the history course I taught in the previous semester. The course will cover the history of Japan's political and economic system since World War II to the present.

Organization, Attendance, and Other Requirements

Students are expected to buy the text book.

Gordon, Andrew (2008), A Modern History of Japan. Oxford University Press.

Some lecture notes will be uploaded on this website. The course consists mainly of a series of lecture given by the instructor. Later the students present some selected reading materials. Each course attendant is required to make ONE oral presentation in the second half of the course. The presenter must make a set of PowerPoint slides. If too many students take this course, individual presentations will be replaced by group ones. There is ONE final take-home examination.

Pre-requisite

None.

Assessment Details

Class Attendance and Discussion 20%

Presentation 40%

Final (Take Home) Examination 40%

You will get 2 credits by satisfying the course requirements specified above.

If you need to acquire three credits in accordance with the credit transfer policy of your home university, you can get three credits by making a second presentation in different topics in addition to the requirements as above.

Settlement for the Covid-19 pandemic

Some or all the lectures might be recorded and uploaded somewhere. Wait for the notice.

Schedule and Readings (subject to Change)

Lecture

1 (4/12). A Short History of Japan before the Showa Era

 Economy and Society

2 (4/19). Democracy and Empire between the World Wars

3 (4;26). The Depression Crisis and Responses

The Factory Ship (Takiji Kobayashi) Manga in J

4. (5/3) Japan in Wartime

5 (5/10). Occupied Japan: New Departures and Durable Structures

‹Κ‰Ή•ϊ‘—1945.8.15

Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the Greater East Asia War

Commonwealth of Nations   Head of the Commonwealth

6 (5/17).  Economic and Social Transformations

Brakumin (Wikipedia)

Anti-Discrimination Initiative by Kikuchi City of Kumamoto Prefecture (J)

7  (5/24) A Lecture on Kabuki@@Kabuki Homepage   Hakata-za

8 (5/31) Political Struggles and the High-Growth Era

9 (6/7). Global Power in a Polarized World: Japan in the 1980s

10 (6/14). Beyond the Postwar Era 1

11. (6/21). Beyond the Postwar Era 2

12. (6/28) Beyond the Postwar Era 3

13 (7/5) Conclusion

14 (7/12) Studentsf Presentation 1

15 (7/19) Students Presentation 2

Assignments for Credits

I.              Midterm Exam Spring 2021 Due to Saturday June 5

II.             Take-home Final Examination New ! Due Sunday July 18

III.          Presentation Slide New ! Due Sunday July 11

IV.          Presentation Movie (required only for Yshana and Trinh)

Course Evaluation: Click and follow the instructions History (sample 2020)

Course Materials in the past are below

Past Materials

Journal Resources:

Journal of Japanese Studies
Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies
Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies
Social Science Japan Journal
Social Science Japan Newsletter

June 30

A. Emperor (succession, marriage): Inaara

B. Territorial Disputes (Russia, China): Marie

July 7

C, Korea (Comfort Women, Abduction, Kimi Dae-Jung): Emma

D. Okinawa: Joy

July 14

E. DPJ government 2009-2012: Yang

F. Populist Politics: Greg

  A1: The Emperor in the Postwar Japan

1.     Review the Succession Controversy

2.     What is the difference between the female emperor, female-line emperor, and empress?

3.     Review the succession rules of European monarchs (UK, Dutch, Denmark,c)

The Status of the Emperor
Imperial House of Japan
Japanese Succession Controversy
Emperor Akihito (Japan Times)

Emperor Naruhito (Japan Times)

Reiwa – Japan Times

   A2: Marriages of the Imperial Family

1.     What is the problem about Empress Masako?

2.     Explain why it is difficult to find the next empress?

3.     Review the problem with the hopefully-upcoming marriage of Princess Mako.

Empress Masako (Japan Times, Wikipedia)

Ben Hills (2006) Princess Masako - Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne

Kei Komuro

B: Territorial Disputes

1.     Japan Russia Relationship (Why did the latest effort by PM Abe fail?
Territory (Japan Times)
Kuril Islands Dispute

2.     Japan-China Relationship (Chinafs strategy toward Japan under the increasing tension with USA)

Senkaku Islands Dispute

Senkaku Islands (Japan Times)
Senkaku Video

C. Korea

1.     Review the Comfort Women Controversies

2.     Review the Kidnapping of Kim Dae-Jung (Who did it? How Koreafs government handled it?)

3.     Review the abductions of Japanese Citizens by the North Korea

4.     Review the wartime labor problem

Japan-Korea Disputes (Wikipedia)

Comfort Women (Japan Times)
History Recognition (Japan Times)

Wartime Labor (Japan Times)

Kidnapping of Kim Dae Jung (Wikipedia)

The Debate over Japanfs War Responsibility
Japan's History Textbook Debate
The Korean "Comfort Women": Movement for Redress
Performing Social Reparation: gComfort Womenh And The Path To Political Forgiveness
Focusing in on Contemporary Japanfs eYouthf Nationalism

Official Site by the Japanese Government
North Korean abductions of Japanese
BBC News (2008) N Korea abductions hamper Japan
Christopher Hughes (2009) "Super-Sizing" the DPRK Threat

D: Okinawa (1)

1.     Why are Okinawa people so angry?

2.     Why PM Hatoyamafs relocation effort failed?

Relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma

Okinawa (Japan Times)
Okinawa Prefecture- Wikipedia
Shimoji Yoshio: The Futenma Base and the U.S.-Japan Controversy: an Okinawan perspective

E: Review the Democratic Party Government (2009-2012)

1.     Evaluate the crisis control by the Kan Cabinet to handle the Fukushima nuclear power plant accidents in 2011

2.     What is the Comprehensive Reform of Tax and Social Security of the Noda Cabinet?

3.     Why is Ozawa considered to be responsible for the failure of the DPJ government?

Asian Survey
Govella, K., and S. Vogel (2008), Japan in 2007: A Divided Government, Asian Survey 48(1), 97-106.
Inoguchi (2013) Japan in 2012: Voters Swing, and Swing Away Soon
Ichiro Ozawa

Yoshihiko Noda

Japan in 20**, Asian Survey (2009-2013)

F: Domestic Politics: Review Japanfs 3 Populist leaders (Why are they so popular?)

Wikipedia: Toru Hashimoto
Wikipedia: Japan Restauration Party
Wikipedia: Yuriko Koike

Wikipedia: Yamamoto Taro

The Reiwa-Shinsengumi

Taro Yamamoto in Japan Time

NY Times: Japan where populism fails
Why Japan has no Donald Trump
What shape will populism take in modern Japan?

15 (7/13). Final Exam

Other Readings

Japanese Welfare State

Goesta Esping-Andersen (1997) Hybrid or Unique?: the Japanese Welfare State Between Europe and America
Estevez-Abe et al (2001) Social Protection and the Formation of Skills: A Reinterpretation of the Welfare State
HIWATARI Nobuhiro (2009) Review of Estevez-Abe's "Welfare and Capitalism in Postwar Japan"
MIYAMOTO Taro (2003) Dynamics of the Japanese Welfare State in Comparative Perspective
UZUHASHI Takamitsu (2003) Japanese Model of Welfare State - How was it changed through the Lost Decade of the 1990s?
Charles Weathers (2009), Nonregular Workers and Inequality in Japan
TAKAO Yasuo (2009) Aging and Political Participation in Japan

Nagai, Akiko (2005), Marriage for Social Recognition and Subsequent Married Life.
Miwa Satoshi (2005), Educational Homogamy in Contemporary Japan.
Mayumi Nakamura (2005), University Education for Marital Status Attainment for Japanese Women.
Social Science Japan Newsletter December 2005, 6-14, Genda, Yuji (2007), Jobless Youths and the NEET Problem in Japan, Social Science Japan Journal, 10(1), 23-40.

The Politics of Economic Nationalism in Japan

Morishima, Michio (2000), The Japanese Financial System: Its Solidarity and Vulnerability, in Japan at a Deadlock, Macmillan UK.

Baumol, Litan, and Schramm (2007), Capitalism: The Different Types and Their Impacts on Growth, in Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism, and the Economics of Growth and Prosperity., Yale University Press.

Baumol, Litan, and Schramm (2007), Capitalism: The Big-Firm Wealthy Economies: Preventing Retreat and Stagnation, in Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism, and the Economics of Growth and Prosperity., Yale University Press.