Suchergebnisse

Nancy K. Stalker's Japan: History and Culture from Classical to Cool is a tertiary-level history textbook of Japan, bridging the premodern to modern periods. As a teacher of Japanese history, I know that finding a suitable textbook for the history teacher in the tertiary sector is not always easy. See, for example, Marius Jansen's The Making of Modern Japan (2000), or Hall's The Cambridge History of Japan (1991). The former is only concerned with modern Japan, focusing on politics and influencers, while the latter is in six volumes, making it inappropriate as a textbook. Whereas many history textbooks tend to treat culture, gender and aesthetics as an afterthought, the author of Japan: History and Culture asserts their integral importance to Japanese history (p. vii)—a perspective arguably in keeping with her expertise as Professor in Cultural and Gender Studies (20th Century) at the University of Hawaii. Her argument in this book is that by paying careful attention to the currents of literature, culture, religion, gender and art, the context and background for understanding Japanese history will come alive for students.

In China over the past two decades, a group of "history activists" has maximized its professional independence, social credibility, academic resources, and international connections to usurp many traditional roles of the state in building new institutions and engaging in activism aimed at documenting and disseminating information on Japan's wartime atrocities.

Marxist economics was introduced into Japan in the 1920s and diverged into several schools. These Marxist schools developed and evolved along with the socio-economic conditions of Japanese society. Japanese Marxism made significant achievements, even though it is facing various difficulties at present. This article offers an account of the formation, development and current quandary of Japanese Marxist economics, so that a comprehensive understanding and overview of Japanese Marxist economics can be obtained.

Overview I: Edo Period -- Case 1: Konoike Zen'emon: Successive Innovations on the Nationwide Market -- Case 2: Takatoshi Mitsui: New Business Opportunities and the Retail Revolution -- Case 3: Genzaemon Nakai: Regional Merchant Thriving on the National Stage -- Discussion Point 1: Early Modern or Pre-modern? -- Overview 2: From Port Opening to the Post Russo-Japanese War Period -- Case 4: Hikojiro Nakamigawa: Zaibatsu Reform by Salaried Managers -- Case 5: Yataro Iwasaki and Yanosuke Iwasaki: Formation of Zaibatsu by Owner Managers -- Case 6: Zenjiro Yasuda and Soichiro Asano: Zaibatsu Formation through the Collaboration of Two Owner-Managers -- Case 7: Eiichi Shibusawa: Mobilization of Managerial Resources by an Investor-Manager -- Discussion Point 2: How Did Japan's Economy Manage to Take Off So Early? Conditions that Enabled the First Successful Industrialization Case among Late Developers -- Overview 3: World War I to the 1980s -- Case 8: Ichizo Kobayashi: A Leader in Urbanization Creates a New Industry -- Case 9: Yasuzaemon Matsunaga: Electrification Leader Establishes Private Sector-Led Public Utility Operations -- Case 10: Saburosuke Suzuki II : Commercialization of Exceptional Breakthrough Innovation -- Case 11: Kiichiro Toyoda: From Breakthrough to Incremental Innovations -- Case 12: Shitagau Noguchi and Yoshisuke Aikawa: Emergence of New Konzerns and Foray into the Continent -- Case 13: Sazo Idemitsu: From "Oil Merchant of the Continent" to "Hero of Native Oil Companies" -- Case 14: Yataro Nishiyama: Leader of Capital Investment Drives High Economic Growth -- Case 15: Konosuke Matsushita: Initiator of "Consumer Revolution" Drives High Economic Growth -- Case 16: Masaru Ibuka, Akio Morita, Soichiro Honda, and Takeo Fujisawa: The Groundbreaking Nature of Sony and Honda Becoming Global Companies -- Case 17: Toshio Doko: The Sense of Crisis Harbored by the "Fine Physician of the Business World" and "Mr. Administrative Reform" -- Discussion Point 3: How did Japan's Economy Grow Continuously Over a Long Period of Time? Catch-Up and Domestic Demand -- Overview 4: Japan since the 1990s -- Case 18: Kazuo Inamori: Managerial Renewal by a Venture Manager -- Case 19: Toshifumi Suzuki: Convenience Store Innovations Originating in Japan Spread to the World -- Case 20: Tadashi Yanai and Masayoshi Son: Exceptional Challenges Undertaken by the Two Risk Takers -- Discussion Point 4: Why did Japan's Economy Slow Down? ICT Revolution and "Disruptive Innovation".

Ainu is the heritage language of the indigenous people of present-day southern Sakhalin, the Kurile Islands, present-day Hokkaidō, and northeastern Honshū (mainland Japan). The UNESCO Interactive Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger (2009) considered the Ainu language critically endangered with only 15 speakers remaining. This article scrutinizes UNESCO's assessment and analyzes the historical and current situation of the Ainu language and its transmission, particularly evaluating government policies related to the transmission of the Ainu language. Analysis in this article will draw upon our field observations and interviews conducted in Hokkaidō. Numerous formal and informal discussions were conducted with Ainu teachers, politicians, community members, and activists. Our findings indicate that the grassroots language revitalization efforts have been made and a growing number of youth speak Ainu, although their proficiency levels vary. While policymakers recognize the government's responsibility in reversing language shift, they have yet to articulate adequate policies. The authors conclude with a discussion of the state's positive responsibility to realize the rights ensured by the United Nations of Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This realization will facilitate the transmission of Ainu language and culture, and ensure its vitality in the future.

"Here is a marvelous compact history of Japan from earliest times to the present focusing on Japan's relationships with the rest of the world. In lively prose rooted in observations by people who lived the history, the work highlights the contributions of a wide range of acetors: women as well as men, commoners as well as elites"--Publisher supplied summary