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Since the end of the Pacific War, Japan has, broadly speaking, pursued two economic policies: a ""democratization"" policy laid down by the Allied Powers, and subsequently a ""de-democratization"" policy formulated and vigorously pursued by the independent government. Yamamura here addresses himself to two central questions: What were the objectives and results of each policy? And why and how did the earlier one give way to the later? Yamamura never loses sigh

Where has capitalism gone wrong? Why are advanced capitalist economies so sick, and why do conventional policy solutions such as reduced taxes and increased money supply produce only wider income disparity and inequality? We are now living in a new world in which a majority of people enjoys the highest living standard in history, acquiring more and more goods and services as necessary luxuries. But as Kozo Yamamura shows, despite our apparent lust for gourmet food and designer clothes, for larger homes, the latest gadgets, and exotic vacations, demand for these goods actually grows slowly, so relying on them to reinvigorate our economies will not succeed. With Too Much Stuff, Yamamura upends conventional capitalist wisdom to provide a new approach. He calls for increased tax-funded demand to address a range of societal needs such as environmental concerns, social safety nets, infrastructure, and better education and housing for all. By addressing these needs, argues Yamamura, we can also take huge steps toward reducing the growing wealth gap that threatens global democracy. Both solutions-oriented and accessibly written, this book draws on fascinating case studies from the United States, Japan, and Germany, as well as convincing evidence from across the Western world, to suggest practical steps forward that we can all understand and support. Too Much Stuff boldly challenges the economic orthodoxy and, in so doing, challenges us to think outside the box for the betterment of all. --

This book is an incisive analysis of Japan's deepening economic presence in Asia. It challenges neoclassical economists, arguing that instead of simply building a 'yen bloc' or responding to market forces, Japanese business and government elites are working together to build an expanded - and potentially exclusive - production zone. The authors suggest that the transplantation of many standard Japanese business practices in Asia is based on the concept of keiretsu (enterprise group) which allows a complex web of production networks to develop. The book shows that such strategic control of technology is a unique model of globalisation. While informed by economic theory, Asia in Japan's Embrace is highly accessible, containing interviews and anecdotal evidence from factory floors and board rooms. It is comprehensive and controversial, outlining policy implications and the impact on global trade

According to the Marxist interpretation still dominant in Japanese studies, the last century and a half of the Tokugawa period was a time of economic and demographic stagnation. Professors Hanley and Yamamura argue that a more satisfactory explanation can be provided within the framework of modem economic theory, and they advance and test three important new hypotheses in this book.The authors suggest that the Japanese economy grew throughout the Tokugawa period, though slowly by modern standards and unevenly. This growth, they show, tended to exceed the rate of population increase even in the poorer regions, thus raising the living standard despite major famines. Population growth was controlled by a variety of methods, including abortion and infanticide, for the primary purpose of raising the standard of living. Contrary to the prevailing view of scholars, thus, the conclusions advanced here indicate that the basis for Japan's rapid industrialization in the Meiji period was in many ways already established during the latter part of the Tokugawa period. The authors' analysis combines original fieldwork with study of data based on findings of the postwar years.Originally published in 1978.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.