Bøger i Nissan Institute/Routledge Japanese Studies serien

This title theoretically and empirically explores the puzzling 'turnout twist' phenomenon in Japan where municipal elections often record considerably higher turnout than national elections.

"Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada"--T.p. verso.

Written by an internationally recognized specialist on Buraku studies, this book casts light on majority-minority relations and the struggle for Buraku liberation. It focuses on the Burakumin activist, left-wing politician, family company manager and arguably the most important Buraku leader of the twentieth century: Matsumoto Jiichiro.

Examines the impact the 1993 general election had on Japanese politics. Although the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) regained the position of a ruling party within a year, the author questions whether the Japanese political system has managed to maintain the same efficacy as it had prior to 1993.

Using Japan and France as case studies, this book argues that decentralization is fundamentally an 'oppositional' policy advocated by political parties in opposition, placed on the legislative agenda when they come to power, and pursued at times even when it ceases to make partisan sense to do so.

Provides a thorough examination of vocational education and training in all parts of the education system; from primary education through to in-house training in companies and on the shop floor.

One third of Japan's women workers are 'office ladies' - low status, low security secretaries, who are trained at Junior Colleges. The author, who taught at such a College, discusses life there, and their cultural and sociopolitical role.

Challenges many of the preconcieved notions on Japanese defence and security policies and the policy making process in Japan.

As the literature of change and of the young, science fiction acts as a window on the minds of the young Japanese and to the uneasy alliance of the old and the new traditions therein.

This ethnographic study of social life in Kotobuki, an inner city district of Yokohama, documents the lives of those on a low income who have missed the Japanese economic miracle.

Green Politics in Japan reveals that green issues have yet to displace the traditional urban politics of post-industrial Japan. Indeed, it seems that political values are still informed by the conservative values of hierarchy and deference

Examines the decision-making processes of the Chinese and Japanese governments during the 'textbook issue' - a scandal involving the rewriting of Japanese school textbooks according to a biased, politically charged view of history.

In this adventurous new study, Brian J. McVeigh demonstrates how nominally conflicting impressions of Japan can be reconciled by a greater understanding of the state - revealing flaws in current intellectual discourse.

Bringing to light the enduring legacy of a great Japanese author who has contributed to an unmasking of the unsustainability of talk of an 'East-West' divide, this volume will be of interest to Japanese literature students.

This book explores the vital linkage between Japan's national security and the safety of its sea lanes.

The 'San Francisco System' determined the post-war political and security order in the Asia-Pacific. Drawing on research and analysis, this work gives a comprehensive examination of the system, uncovering key links between the regional problems in the Asia-Pacific and their underlying association with Japan.

The unresolved territorial dispute between Japan and Russia over the South Kuril Islands/Northern Territories remains the largest obstacle to concluding a peace treaty and normalising bilateral relations between the nations. This book traces the evolution of transnational relations between subnational public authorities in Hokkaido and Sakhalin.

This study explores the symbiotic relationship between architecture and authority throughout Japanese history. It considers key structures and how they have been used as active conveyors of power, relating buildings to political ambitions and religious beliefs of the major historical eras in Japan.

Explaining why the attempts to reform the Japanese educational system have failed, this book argues that the lessons learned from this failure have a wider relevance in the Japanese policy-making process as a whole.

This book is the first comprehensive account of the changing role of men and the construction of masculinity in contemporary Japan it makes a significant contribution to our understanding of contemporary Japanese society and identity.

An assessment of the development of democracy through the writings of Maruyama Masao. Based on contemporary documents and on interviews, it is the only full-scale analysis of his work to be published in English.

Via a range of issues such as abortion, suicide, capital punishment and death from overwork, this study analyzes the social sciences and law studies of contemporary Japan. It approaches the right to life in Japan from a legal viewpoint and includes a discussion from an historical perspective.

For more than 60 years Hirohito was Emperor - a confusing mixture of "absolute" ruler, constitutional monarch and god. This political history of Showa Japan tests the controversies surrounding Hirohito against the written evidence of his entire reign.

Gives a detailed examination of Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in its role promoting, protecting and preserving the regime of agricultural support and protection. The text explains why Japan continues to provide high levels of assistance to its farmers.