Publisher's Synopsis
The third edition of Governing Japan provides a comprehensive introduction to Japanese political institutions, processes and culture, taking account of the remarkable changes of recent years. The author makes the often confusing Japanese political system comprehensible to the outside observer. He examines Japan′s politics in light of its cultural and historical situation whilst relating Japan′s experience to the rest of the world. This new edition of the established textbook in this field reflects the patterns of complexity and variety in the Japanese political experience in the 1980s and 1990s. The book identifies six crises central to the Japanese political agenda at the end of the millennium: A crisis of political power ? a crisis of bureaucracy. A crisis of political apathy and lack of confidence in government. A crisis of economic management. A crisis of public satisfaction over life chances. A crisis of the constitution and Japan′s world role. The author analyses the degrees of recent reform in the Japanese political system and argues that moves towards political change in the 1990s reflect a deep malaise in politics, economy and society Governing Japan provides students with an invaluable guide to this transitional period in Japanese politics and the problems and potential solutions that lie ahead.
