Paul J. Bailey is a Senior Lecturer in East Asian history at the University of Edinburgh. His previous publications include China in the Twentieth Century (Blackwell, 1988).

"This book will provide historians of modern Japan with a reliable, readable and engaging text to assign in new undergraduate courses that desperately need such an anchor." Professor Jeffrey Eldon Hanes, University of Oregon

• List of Figures. Outline Chronology.Introduction.1. The Path to 1945.2. The American Interregnum (1945-1952).3. The Creation of the Liberal-Democratic Party and Political Conflict in the 1950s and 1960s.4. The Emergence of an Economic Superpower.5. A New Imperial Era and the End of the LDP Hegemony.Guide to Further Reading.Bibliography.Glossary of Japanese Terms.