Book contents
- A Global History of Modern Japan
- A Global History of Modern Japan
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I Early Modern World
- Part II Nineteenth Century
- Part III World War I and Its Aftermath
- Part IV World War II
- Part V To the Twenty-first Century
- 13 Japan Transforms America
- 14 Age of Forever Wars
- 15 Japanese Foundations of “Globalization”
- 16 Risks and Rewards of a Global Twenty-first Century
- Index
- References
15 - Japanese Foundations of “Globalization”
Late Shōwa Economy and Culture (1952–1989)
from Part V - To the Twenty-first Century
Published online by Cambridge University Press: aN Invalid Date NaN
Book contents
- A Global History of Modern Japan
- A Global History of Modern Japan
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I Early Modern World
- Part II Nineteenth Century
- Part III World War I and Its Aftermath
- Part IV World War II
- Part V To the Twenty-first Century
- 13 Japan Transforms America
- 14 Age of Forever Wars
- 15 Japanese Foundations of “Globalization”
- 16 Risks and Rewards of a Global Twenty-first Century
- Index
- References
Summary
Commonly considered the heart of a century dominated by American power, values, and innovation (an “American Century,” according to American publicist Henry Luce), the latter twentieth century is, from the perspective of Japan, less an American age than one of intimate global exchange. The model of state management of the economy and “superdirect” industrial financing perfected by Japan after 1945 grounded not simply an East Asian “economic miracle” but a “Golden Age of Capitalism” (1945-1973). American pundits like Thomas Friedman celebrated the new global prosperity as the apotheosis of a unique American spirit of enterprise. But the term used to describe the phenomenon – “globalization” – was initially popularized in the 1980s to capture the incredible global reach of Japanese manufacturing, banking, and shipping.
Keywords
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- A Global History of Modern Japan , pp. 300 - 320Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
References
Suggested Readings
Abel, Jessamyn R. Dream Super-Express: A Cultural History of the World’s First Bullet Train (New York: Columbia University Press, 2022)10.1515/9781503629950CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Avenell, Simon. A History of Postwar Japan: Recovery, Prosperity, and Transformation (Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2025)Google Scholar
Culver, Annika A. Democratizing Luxury: Name Brands, Advertising and Consumption in Japan (Honolulu: University of Hawai’I Press, 2023)10.2307/jj.1791891CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Esselstrom, Erik. That Distant Country Next Door: Popular Japanese Perceptions of Mao’s China (Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2019)Google Scholar
Farrer, James, and Wank, David L., eds. The Global Japanese Restaurant: Mobilities, Imaginaries, and Politics (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2023)10.1515/9780824895273CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Igarashi, Yoshikuni. Japan, 1972: Visions of Masculinity in an Age of Mass Consumerism (New York: Columbia University Press, 2021)10.7312/igar19554CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kano, Ayako. Japanese Feminist Debates: A Century of Contention on Sex, Love, and Labor (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2016)10.21313/hawaii/9780824855802.001.0001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mizuno, Hiromi, Moore, Aaron S., and DiMoia, John, eds. Engineering Asia: Technology, Colonial Development, and the Cold War Order (London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2018)Google Scholar
O’Bryan, Scott. The Growth Idea: Purpose and Prosperity in Postwar Japan (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2009)10.21313/hawaii/9780824832827.001.0001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siniawer, Eiko Maruko. Waste: Consuming Postwar Japan (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2018)10.7591/cornell/9781501725845.001.0001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.2 AAA
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.Accessibility Information
The HTML of this chapter
complies with version 2.2 of the
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(WCAG), offering more comprehensive accessibility measures for a broad range
of users and attains the highest
(AAA)
level of WCAG compliance, optimising the user experience by meeting the most extensive
accessibility guidelines.
Content Navigation
Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Reading Order & Textual Equivalents
Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
Short alternative textual descriptions
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
Full alternative textual descriptions
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.
Visualised data also available as non-graphical data
You can access graphs or charts in a text or tabular format, so you are not excluded if you cannot process visual displays.
You can access graphs or charts in a text or tabular format, so you are not excluded if you cannot process visual displays.
Visual Accessibility
Use of high contrast between text and background colour
You benefit from high‐contrast text, which improves legibility if you have low vision or if you are reading in less‐than‐ideal lighting conditions.
You benefit from high‐contrast text, which improves legibility if you have low vision or if you are reading in less‐than‐ideal lighting conditions.