The Japanese Today: Change and Continuity

Reviews this book by Marius Jensen and Edwin Reischauer which explores the major issues connected to contemporary Japan.

In “The Japanese Today; Change and Continuity”, they explain why Japan has come to be regarded as one of the three of four most important countries in the world. More than anything, the authors concentrate on the Japanese people, their society, political institutions, business organization and increasingly complicated and significant relations with the rest of the international community. They show that, in one very important sense, the success of Japanese society has almost been a miracle in the context of the defeat in World War Two. Indeed, the manner in which Japan has risen up after its conquest at the hands of the United States has truly been remarkable. One of the central issues that the reader is left pondering after reading this book is the phenomenon of Japanese homogeneity and its consequences for Japan’s future. Indeed, in our multi-cultural world, Japan remains a society where discrimination continues to be practised.