Description
Book SynopsisThe aim of this project is to bring together fifteen extensively revised, peer-reviewed articles by international scholars covering a diverse range of fieldsfrom cinema to economics to history to the social sciencesaddressing issues in contemporary Japan. These fifteen are all contributors to the first ten years of the EJCJSthe Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies. The principal strengths of this volume are its diversity of approaches and its fundamentally interdisciplinary nature: it allows researchers in different fields to contribute to an overall understanding of Japan from the 1950s to the present. This understanding' is indeed comprehensive: chapters range from economics to politics to theatre, literature, immigration issues, religion, and multiculturalism. The chapters are uniformly precise in their analyses, drawing on many different forms of research, from textual analysis, historical documentation, linguistic analysis, to participant interviews and media studies. The diverse range of subject matter holds together very well, in that the contributors operate within a set of similar central values: the primacy of practical research over theory; the centrality of Japan even in studies which situate that country internationally; clarity of expression over jargon; and the desire to include readers through rhetorical care rather than exclude through esoteric applications of over-specialised terminology or assumptions. The chapters, while academic and informed by current scholarship, are accessible to general readers with interest in contemporary Japan. In this, the volume distinguishes itself as a highly readable, pertinent compendium of scholarship on contemporary Japan. It does not aim to be all things for all readers' but rather demonstrates to its readership the ways in which diverse aspects of contemporary Japan interlock and influence each other. Thus, aspects of contemporary religion show the influence of current economic conditions, while questions of Japanese identity reflect immigration issues and aspects of multiculturalism, while emerging in contemporary Japanese forms of mobile communication and linguistic change. Japan emerges as a complex, interwoven whole in this volume, but a whole which, as the chapters demonstrate, is amenable to scholarship from both insider and outsider' alike. The international contributors all have equal merit and equal voice here, to give a true multidisciplinary portrait of this intricate, culturally, historically, and economically vital nation.
Trade ReviewResearching Twenty-First Century Japan brings together 15 of the best papers published in the journal’s first ten years. It is, appropriately, a very eclectic collection, with papers on such diverse topics as municipal mergers and manga, political financing scandals and Buddhist priests. Readers looking for a full set of wide ranging explorations of modern Japan will find informative and insightful essays. ... This book provides important insights about contemporary scholarly publishing. It reveals the depth and range of ejcjs’s intellectual contributions. ... Together, ejcjs and Researching Twenty-First Century Japan demonstrate the potential, achievements and unrealized opportunities of e-journals. ... this collection is a very good representation of the contributions that ejcjs has made and continues to make to modern Japan studies. The richness of the papers leads one to wish ejcjs all the best for continued good health and to make us all look forward to the next print collection of the 'best of' this useful e-journal. * Pacific Affairs *
Researching Twenty-First Century Japan brings to print for the first time a rich selection of stimulating and informative essays gleaned from the digital pages of ejcjs, the electronic journal of contemporary Japanese studies. Editors Iles and Matanle have done a superb job of compiling a valuable collection of essays showcasing the research of a global network of scholars whose expertise ranges across the disciplines, from the social sciences to literary and cultural studies, demonstrating a wealth of new approaches to the study of contemporary Japan. Offering new vistas on major issues in contemporary Japan Studies – soft power, hybridization, social marketing, globalization, mobile technologies, popular culture and more – this volume is sure to open fresh perspectives on global culture and in turn promote discussion and dialogue among scholars and students in many disciplines. -- Janice Brown, professor and chair, University of Colorado Boulder
In this era of 'a rising China,' Japan is often forgotten. However, Japan remains and will remain as a very important country in this new century and chapters collected in this book offer many insights into the changing faces of contemporary Japan. It is a welcome addition to the study of Japan. -- Gi-Wook Shin, Stanford University
Table of ContentsList of Figures List of Tables Preface, Peter Matanle Introduction, Timothy Iles Chapter 1: The Japan Foundation in China: An Agent of Japan’s Soft Power?, Utpal Vyas Chapter 2: Regulatory Reform in Japan 1994-2010 and the Influence of the European Union, Paul James Cardwell Chapter 3: Party Financing in Germany and Japan: Comparative Perspectives of Political Corruption, Angelos Giannakopoulos, Konstadinos Maras, Shinya Amano Chapter 4: The Heisei Mergers in Contemporary Japan: A Step on the Road to a Doshu-sei Realignment?, Anthony Rausch Chapter 5: The Dilemma of “Critical Thinking”: Conformism and Non-Conformism in Japanese Education Policy, David Rear Chapter 6: The Emergence of Positive Fathering Roles in Japanese Social Marketing, Tomoko Shimoda Chapter 7: Cell Phone as Metaphor: Japanese Deaf and Hearing High School Students’ Concepts of Mobile Communication,Yoshiko Okuyama Chapter 8: Japanese Employment in Transformation: The Growing Number of Non-Regular Worker, Kuniko Ishiguro Chapter 9: Deprofessionalization of Buddhist Priests in Contemporary Japan, Mitsutoshi Horii Chapter 10: Celebrating ‘Multicultural Japan’: Writings on ‘Minorities’ and the Discourse on ‘Difference’, Chris Burgess Chapter 11: Ito and Isabella in the Contact Zone:Interpretation, Mimicry and Unbeaten Tracks in Japan, Andrew Elliott Chapter 12: ‘Desperate Housewives’ in Modern Japanese Fiction—Three Novels by Ariyoshi Sawako, Wendy Nakanishi Chapter 13: Kiritake Masako’s Maiden’s Bunraku, Darren-Jon Ashmore Chapter 14: Manga and Anime: Fluidity and Hybridity in Global Imagery, Mio Bryce, Christie Barber, and Amy Plumb Chapter 15: Moe: Exploring Virtual Potential in Post-Millennial Japan, Patrick W. Galbraith
