University of Sheffield/Routledge Japanese Studies Series – serie

Presenting the history of relations between the European Union and Japan, this book explains the origins and significance of the momentous 2018 Economic Partnership Agreement and its parallel Strategic Partnership Agreement.Set within the historical context of the 1991 Hague Declaration and Action Plan of 2001, this book analyses the impact of recent background changes to the liberal trading order, the proliferation of free trade agreements, and uncertainty about role of the United States in the world on relations between Japan and the EU. Adopting a path-dependent approach, it illustrates how these agreements were reached as a result of growing patterns of cooperative behaviour between the EU and Japan, and the imprint of shared past experiences in areas from trade to security. In so doing, this book also raises important questions about the future of multilateral cooperation, exploring the potential for bilateral agreements to undermine the possibility of finding international solutions to increasingly international problems.EU–Japan Relations and the Crisis of Multilateralism will appeal to students and scholars of European and Japanese politics and international relations, as well as policymakers internationally with an interest in these significant agreements.

Presenting the history of relations between the European Union and Japan, this book explains the origins and significance of the momentous 2018 Economic Partnership Agreement and its parallel Strategic Partnership Agreement.Set within the historical context of the 1991 Hague Declaration and Action Plan of 2001, this book analyses the impact of recent background changes to the liberal trading order, the proliferation of free trade agreements, and uncertainty about role of the United States in the world on relations between Japan and the EU. Adopting a path-dependent approach, it illustrates how these agreements were reached as a result of growing patterns of cooperative behaviour between the EU and Japan, and the imprint of shared past experiences in areas from trade to security. In so doing, this book also raises important questions about the future of multilateral cooperation, exploring the potential for bilateral agreements to undermine the possibility of finding international solutions to increasingly international problems.EU–Japan Relations and the Crisis of Multilateralism will appeal to students and scholars of European and Japanese politics and international relations, as well as policymakers internationally with an interest in these significant agreements.

Scandals and failures in some of the best known international Japanese-owned companies have shown that there is sometimes a considerable difference between the public and internal narratives of Japanese firms. This book explores the extent to which Japanese firms’ public claims reflect wider reality.Exploring how and why corporate narrative-management is ‘accepted’ or ‘rejected’ by external and internal audiences in Japan, the book clarifies what narrative-management means for Japanese organizations. It argues that the role of narrative-management has become much more prevalent in Japan in recent years, but that it does not serve quite the same role as it does in the Western environments where the theory and practice first emerged. The author presents interview-based case studies within four very different large Japanese organisations, all of which have deployed and loudly announced new restructuring plans based largely on Western models of corporate ‘best practice’. The book aims to describe and account for these Japanese corporate narratives, and asks what they are, why they are deployed and who believes in them.As the first narrative-related work in the Japanese context, this volume provides an insight into the development of Japanese narrative-management. It will appeal to students and scholars of Japanese Business, International Business and Organizational Studies.

It is widely recognised that the increasing importance of the US‒Japan alliance is strongly linked to emerging threats in the Asia Pacific, with China’s rise and the ambitions of North Korea having brought the two allies closer together. This book, however, seeks to question whether these factors are indeed the sole determinants of this enduring alliance. A pioneering study conducted through the lens of neo-Gramscianism, this book unravels the intricate political dynamism involved in the US‒Japan alliance. It provides an innovative attempt to link the concept of alliances to hegemony and thus examines Japan’s relationship to US dominance in the region. Building on existing scholarship, it also seeks to examine how Japan’s continuing dependence on the US, and the burden it places of citizens living near US military bases, may affect the durability of the alliance in the post-Cold War era. As such, this book presents an alternative theoretical tool in the field of international relations to analyse the political nature of the alliance, as well as US hegemony in the region.This book will be useful to students and scholars of Japanese Politics and foreign policymaking, as well as International Relations and Security Studies more generally.

A high degree of cultural and racial homogeneity has long been associated with Japan, with its political discourse and with the lexicon of post-war Japanese scholarship. This book examines underlying assumptions. The author provides an analysis of racial discourse in Japan, its articulation and re-articulation over the past century, against the background of labour migration from the colonial periphery. He deconstructs the myth of a `Japanese race'.Michael Weiner pursues a second major theme of colonial migration; its causes and consequences. Rather than merely identifying the `push factors', the analysis focuses on the more dynamic `pull factors' that determined immigrant destinations. Similarly, rather than focusing upon the immigrant, the author examines the structural need for low-cost temporary labour that was filled by Korean immigrants.

The Internationalization of Japan provides the English-speaking reader with the opportunity to hear what some of Japan's leading social scientists and other commentators have to say about the internationalization of their country as well as their country's impact overseas.The topic is of extreme importance now as the international community demands a greater Japanese contribution to international society as well as changes in Japan to facilitate foreign access. The book discusses the internationalization of politics, economy and society. Topics of special interest include the internationalization of Japanese capital, the response of Japanese society to foreign workers, local level initiatives for internationalization and the internationalization of education.To place the internationalization of Japan in comparative perspective there are chapters on Britain and the United States from a leading British and a leading American political scientist respectively. These two and the editors aside, all the contributors are highly regarded Japanese scholars or commentators.

Harukiyo Hasegawa challenges the notion of the Japanese success story with an in-depth case study of comparative growth and decline in the steel industries of two mature economies.

As the end of the century approaches, the Asian-Pacific region is becoming the most important economic area in the world. Pekka Korhonen examines the nature of Japan's economic rise since World War II, and its relations with other countries in the Pacific area. This in turn led to an optimistic world outlook for Japan, in which military tension was wiped away in the light of sustained economic growth and the formation of an inter-dependent structure for Asian-Pacific countries.

Contemporary relations between Greater China and Japan have been conditioned both by differing responses to the impact of Western colonialism during the mid-nineteenth century and the legacy of the Cold War. There are mutual suspicions: the Chinese fear of a Japanese military revival and the Japanese concern over increasing Chinese economic competition and territorial ambitions.Robert Taylor recognises the mistrust in Sino-Japanese relations, but also sees shared advantages in this traditionally adversarial relationship. The Chinese are currently modelling their economic strategy on Japan's developmental experience, even though China's policies and institutions have distinctive features and differing agendas. The study also examines the growing momentum towards sub-regional integration; rivalry between Greater China and Japan is giving way to competition between regional economic blocks and corporate entities.Greater China and Japan explores the ambiguous relationship between the two countries and states that its development is crucial to the future of the region in the twenty-first century.

Once thought of as a 'vanishing people', the Ainu are now reasserting both their culture and their claims to be the 'indigenous' people of Japan. Race, Resistance and the Ainu of Japan is the first major study to trace the outlines of Ainu history. It explores the ways in which competing versions of Ainu identity have been constructed and articulated, shedding light on the way modern relations between the Ainu and the Japanese have been shaped.

In this study the views of Japan's leading experts on the globalization of Japanese business, management and industrial relations explain how traditional Japanese-style management is responding to the changes following the collapse of the bubble economy. The areas covered include the changes made in management itself inside Japan and also how it is adapting itself when transferred overseas. The book demonstrates how management is moving towards a hybrid type in overseas operations and towards a western-style in Japan, where contractual principles are beginning to be given greater weight.

Japan and Asia Pacific Integration is a study of regional integration in the greater Pacific area during 1968-1996. It examines the political rationale of such international organisations as the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum, and the East Asian Economic Caucus (EAEC). There is a focus on Japanese conceptions of regionalism and integration, but the attitudes of other countries such as the United States, Australia, Malaysia and China are also explored.

Is Japan re-emerging as a normal, or even a great, military power in regional and global security affairs? This Adelphi Paper assesses the overall trajectory of Japan’s security policy over the last decade, and the impact of a changing Japanese military posture on the stability of East Asia.The paper examines Japan’s evolving security debate, set against the background of a shifting international environment and domestic policymaking system; the status of Japan’s national military capabilities and constitutional prohibitions; post-Cold War developments in the US Japan alliance; and Japan’s role in multilateral regional security dialogue, UN PKO, and US-led coalitions of the willing. It concludes that Japan is undoubtedly moving along the trajectory of becoming a more assertive military power, and that this trend has been accelerated post-9/11. Japan is unlikely, though, to channel its military power through greatly different frameworks than at present. Japan will opt for the enhanced, and probably inextricable, integration of its military capabilities into the US Japan alliance, rather than pursuing options for greater autonomy or multilateralism. Japan’s strengthened role as the defensive shield for the offensive sword of US power projection will only serve to bolster US military hegemony in East Asia and globally.

The Japanese education system has attracted increasing attention over the past 20 years, largely due to the belief that it has been central to Japan's economic growth. Many have felt, however that the system is stunted by an inability, or perhaps even on an incapacity, to change. This study challenges these contentions. It examines the reform policies implemented by Prime Minister Nakasone during the 1980s and argues that, not only has the system changed considerably as a result of Nakasone's work, but that it continues to do so. It analyses the key areas of the education reform debate, in particular internationalism, government control of education, increased liberalization and various social problems, and considers the degree to which response to them have been successful. This book will be of great interest to all those interested in the Japanese educational system.

The Political Economy of Japanese Globalisation reveals the key dimensions of Japanese globalisation today by analysing both its inward and outward manifestations. This is the first book to examine fully the issue of globalisation in relation to Japan. Organised in three parts, The Political Economy of Japanese Globalisation reveals the meanings and implications of the study of Japan's globalization in the context of on-going debates about globalisation in general. The book demonstrates how, despite the passing of the 'Japanese model', Japan can still provide significant insights into the meaning of this phenomenon. The first part of the book examines globalization in politics and international relations: Japan's particular position in globalization; its recent role in the East Asian political economy; and the relative identities of Japan and Europe. Part two looks at the economy and business at the heart of Japanese globalization: Japan's globalization in Asia as part of oriental capitalism; its recent financial reforms; the US globalization in Japan; Japan's impact on Germany and the meaning of 'Japanization' and 'globalization'. The third part of the book assesses the social issues in Japan in the context of globalization, highlighting the positive political impact of globalization seen in the way externally generated pressures have brought into focus 'universal' values, such as citizenship, human rights and democracy.Providing a clear analysis of the political economy of Japanese globalization in one volume, The Political Economy of Japanese Globalization is a major resource for postgraduates and researchers in Japanese studies, Asian studies, international relations, international political economy, as well as for all those dealing with Japan professionally.

Japan's Contested Constitution is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Japanese domestic politics and the international role of Japan. Subjects covered include;* the no war, `pacifist' clause* tension between the constitution and the US-Japan security treaty* the political import of the constitution for Japanese political parties* the significance of the constitution for the Japanese people

Japan's Contested Constitution is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Japanese domestic politics and the international role of Japan. Subjects covered include;* the no war, `pacifist' clause* tension between the constitution and the US-Japan security treaty* the political import of the constitution for Japanese political parties* the significance of the constitution for the Japanese people

Japan's postwar constitution in which the Japanese government famously renounced war forever has meant that the country has been reluctant, until recently, to commit its armed forces in the international arena. However, in the last decade or so, Japan has played a much more active role in peacekeeping and its troops have been deployed as part of UN forces in trouble spots as varied as the Gulf, Cambodia, the Golan Heights, Kosovo and the East Timor. This book examines these developments within the border context of international relations theory and changes in Japan's domestic and regional politics.

Japan and Okinawa provides an up-to-date, coherent and theoretically informed examination of Okinawa from the perspective of political economy and society. It combines a focus on structure and subjectivity as a way to analyze Okinawa, Okinawans and their relationship with global, regional and national structures. The book draws on a range of disciplines to provide new insights into both the contemporary and historical place of Okinawa and the Okinawans.The first half of the book examines Okinawa as part of the global, regional and national structures which impose constraints as well as offer opportunities to Okinawa. Leading specialists examine in detail topics such as Okinawa as a frontier region, Okinawa's Free Trade Zones and response to globalization, and Okinawa as part of the Japanese 'construction state', being particularly concerned with how Okinawa can chart its own course. The second half focuses on questions of identity and subjectivity, examining the multitude of vibrant cultural practices that breathe life into the meaning of being Okinawan and inform their social and political responses to structural constraints.The originality of this book can be found in its elucidation of how the structural constraints of Okinawa's precarious position in the world, the region and as part of Japan impact on subjectivity. For many Okinawans, in the past as now, acceptance and rationalization of their dependency has made them collaborators in their own subordination. At the same time, however, they have demonstrated a capacity to give voice to a separate identity, inscribing cultural practices marking them as different from mainland Japanese.

Britian and Japan in the Contemporary World provides up-to-date analyses of these two countries in terms of economics, politics, security and identity on the global, regional, subnational and civic levels.The book moves beyond an analysis of state-to-state relations between Britain and Japan by examining the role of civil society in the relationship and analyzing the way the two countries deal with common issues, such as the 'special relationship' both maintain with the US; the relationship with the continents that both of these island nations border; the question of the degree of decentralization to allow within their contested borders. Both countries also face the pressures of globalization, as seen by the responses of the global cities of London and Tokyo.The editors have brought a selection of top scholars in a collection of chapters aimed at examining the similarities and differences in the way Britian and Japan respond to issues of common concern on these different levels.

This book provides a history of Nikkeiren (the Japanese Federation of Managers' Organisations) and an account of post-war capitalist development in Japan. The author challenges the principal interpretations of how the economy functions revealing a darker side of Japanese capitalism in his examination of the roles played by class power, manipulation and mystification.

First Published in 2004. This book provides an in-depth examination of one of the most central and defining aspects of capitalist modernity in contemporary Japan-the lifetime employment system. It investigates the key themes surrounding the system, including the work attitudes and values of Japanese company employees and whether or not Japan is converging on Western forms of capitalist organisation. Peter Matanle presents and analyses original documentary data, drawn from extensive research within four large Japanese corporations, in order to explore these issues from the perspective of both management and employees. The findings are then discussed in terms of the development of Japan's capitalism and modernity. It will be of interest to researchers of Japanese studies, Business studies and Sociology.

This book explores Japanese investment in Europe and Southeast Asia, in relation to the automobile industry. In Part I the authors examine industrial organization and policy issues in Thailand, Malaysia, The Philippines and Indonesia, looking at Japanese investment and the relative policy successes and failures in these host countries. Part II looks at skill formation systems in the Japanese dominated automobile industry in Southeast Asia and in Part III the authors focus on the EU and the very different influence of Japanese investment.

This book analyses Japan's international relations and participation in the multilateral forum, the G8, since its creation in 1975. The author explores the motivation of the Japanese government and non-governmental actor's aims and objectives and examines how and to what extent they have been achieved. Presenting a wealth of new research this theoretically informed book will be of interest to those studying interntional relations and Japanese politics.

This book analyzes the political economy of reproduction and its role in the process of Japanese modernization. Hiroko analyzes state attempts and policies to intervene into women's bodies and everyday lives to integrate them into the Japanese political economy. Based on Foucault's concept of governmentality the author develops a model to assess reproduction in three forms - economic, biological and socio-political - from 1868 until the present day.

This book moves away from the common belief that Japan’s international relations are firmly the preserve of the national government in Japan’s highly centralised political system. Examining examples of subnational governments (SNGs) across Japan the book uncovers a significant and generally unrecognised development in Japanese politics: SNGs are ever more dynamic international actors as national borders ‘weaken’ across the world. Exploring what Japanese SNGs do, where they do it, and why, the book considers the implications of these factors for Japan’s international relations and domestic politics. By bringing to light the scope and consequences of the international actions of Japan’s SNGs, this book provides a more accurate and nuanced understanding of the country's foreign policy, at a time when it is pursuing a broader and more active profile in international affairs.

Grassroots Pacifism in Post-War Japan presents new material on grassroots peace activism and pacifism in two major groups active in the post-World War 2 peace movement - workers and housewives. Yamamoto contends that the peace movement, which was organised in tandem with other activities to promote democratic, economic and humanitarian issues, served as a popular lever which helped to eliminate feudal remnants that lingered in Japanese society and individual attitudes after the war, thereby modernizing the political process and the outlook of the ordinary Japanese. Including extensive primary material such as letters, essays, memoirs and interviews, specialists in Japanese history, peace studies and women's studies will appreciate the richness of the text supporting Yamamoto's narrative of how workers' and women's political awareness developed under the influence of organizational and ideological interests and contemporary events.

Interfirm Networks in the Japanese Electronics Industry analyses changes in production networks in the Japanese electronics industry. Japan's post-war success in the assembly industries is frequently attributed to innovative approaches to the organization of production: Japanese assemblers have tended to forge intricate networks of long-term interfirm business relationships. Traditionally, these networks have been characterized by hierarchical interfirm relationships resembling a pyramid. Paprzycki argues that as a result of global industry dynamics, such monolithic 'pyramidal' production networks have come under mounting pressure and are giving way to an increasing diversity of network arrangements. A major contributing factor is the growing cost and complexity of technology, which forces even the largest manufacturers to look beyond traditional network boundaries in order to gain access to complementary (technological) assets and capabilities.

Globalisation and Women in the Japanese Workforce contributes to the debate about the impact of globalisation upon women. It examines the effect of restructuring upon women's employment in Japan and describes the actions women are taking individually and collectively to campaign for change in their working environment and the laws and practices regulating it.