Hiroaki Richard Watanabe is a Professor in the Graduate School of International Relations at Ritsumeikan University, Japan. He was formerly a lecturer in the School of East Asian Studies at the University of Sheffield. His books include Labour Market Deregulation in Japan and Italy (Routledge, 2014).

The Japanese Economy provides a brief but compelling account of the history of Japan’s political economy. While it deals with almost all significant issues based on academic research in each period, it conveys non-technical narratives that can be read by those with a general interest in Japan. In short, readers without much knowledge of Japan could understand the country’s economy over two decades as it went from economic miracle to prolonged recession.

• 1. Introducing the Japanese economy2. The formation of the postwar Japanese economy, 1945–903. The transformation of the Japanese economy since the early 1990s4. The structure of the Japanese economy5. The human and labour factors of the Japanese economy6. A distinctive Japanese economic feature: “Galapagos syndrome”7. Conclusion: Prospects and challenges for the Japanese economy

Hiroaki Richard Watanabe is a Professor in the Graduate School of International Relations at Ritsumeikan University, Japan. He was formerly a lecturer in the School of East Asian Studies at the University of Sheffield. His books include Labour Market Deregulation in Japan and Italy (Routledge, 2014).

The Japanese Economy provides a brief but compelling account of the history of Japan’s political economy. While it deals with almost all significant issues based on academic research in each period, it conveys non-technical narratives that can be read by those with a general interest in Japan. In short, readers without much knowledge of Japan could understand the country’s economy over two decades as it went from economic miracle to prolonged recession.

• 1. Introducing the Japanese economy2. The formation of the postwar Japanese economy, 1945–903. The transformation of the Japanese economy since the early 1990s4. The structure of the Japanese economy5. The human and labour factors of the Japanese economy6. A distinctive Japanese economic feature: “Galapagos syndrome”7. Conclusion: Prospects and challenges for the Japanese economy