Palinurus
The Living Force
Hi all,
Since the earthquake and the tsunami with those terrible results for people and possessions (especially the nuclear powerplants and all) it might be of interest to have some background knowledge about Japan in general and it's system of government in particular.
One title that might be helpful in this respect is K.G. van Wolferen's The Enigma of Japanese Power: People and Politics in a Stateless Nation.
The Amazon link is: _http://www.amazon.com/Enigma-Japanese-Power-Politics-Stateless/dp/0679728023
The book was launched in 1989 in 11 countries simultaneously so quite some languages are covered. I read the book in 2000 (had to wait till the cheapest paperback edition came out). That's way too long ago to be able now to give a review of it off the cuff - I would have to reread it first.
Here are two editorial blurbs from Amazon:
Amazon.com Review
Few Americans have examined carefully the nation whose economy and industry is bound up with their own, whose future will inescapably shape theirs--Japan, that is. Dutch journalist Karel van Wolferen does the job, and very well indeed, depicting a Japan alternately awed and disgusted by the world beyond its shores, governed by a puppet emperor in the service of the zaikaijin, a gerontocracy of businessmen who control the national economy, just as they have done for generations. Their hierarchy is reinforced by the fear that, as in 1945, hostile powers will not only overpower the Japanese economy but denature the Japanese people, introducing foreign concepts of democracy and even the specter of an "impure race." Although Van Wolferen balances his account by highlighting what he regards as positive Japanese traits, including thrift, respect for elders, industriousness, and self-control, The Enigma of Japanese Power remains a controversial text in the nation it assays to describe with discomforting accuracy.
From Publishers Weekly
"Here at last is a first-rate book by a Westerner on the obfuscations and realities of Japanese politics," praised PW , complimenting van Wolferen's "almost stupefying thoroughness."
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The book was also mentioned in one thread about Japan on this forum. Have a look here: http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=2807.msg37119#msg37119
Hope this signaling helps out anyone on the lookout for in depth analysis.
Since the earthquake and the tsunami with those terrible results for people and possessions (especially the nuclear powerplants and all) it might be of interest to have some background knowledge about Japan in general and it's system of government in particular.
One title that might be helpful in this respect is K.G. van Wolferen's The Enigma of Japanese Power: People and Politics in a Stateless Nation.
The Amazon link is: _http://www.amazon.com/Enigma-Japanese-Power-Politics-Stateless/dp/0679728023
The book was launched in 1989 in 11 countries simultaneously so quite some languages are covered. I read the book in 2000 (had to wait till the cheapest paperback edition came out). That's way too long ago to be able now to give a review of it off the cuff - I would have to reread it first.
Here are two editorial blurbs from Amazon:
Amazon.com Review
Few Americans have examined carefully the nation whose economy and industry is bound up with their own, whose future will inescapably shape theirs--Japan, that is. Dutch journalist Karel van Wolferen does the job, and very well indeed, depicting a Japan alternately awed and disgusted by the world beyond its shores, governed by a puppet emperor in the service of the zaikaijin, a gerontocracy of businessmen who control the national economy, just as they have done for generations. Their hierarchy is reinforced by the fear that, as in 1945, hostile powers will not only overpower the Japanese economy but denature the Japanese people, introducing foreign concepts of democracy and even the specter of an "impure race." Although Van Wolferen balances his account by highlighting what he regards as positive Japanese traits, including thrift, respect for elders, industriousness, and self-control, The Enigma of Japanese Power remains a controversial text in the nation it assays to describe with discomforting accuracy.
From Publishers Weekly
"Here at last is a first-rate book by a Westerner on the obfuscations and realities of Japanese politics," praised PW , complimenting van Wolferen's "almost stupefying thoroughness."
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The book was also mentioned in one thread about Japan on this forum. Have a look here: http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=2807.msg37119#msg37119
Hope this signaling helps out anyone on the lookout for in depth analysis.
