{"product_id":"japan-book-patrick-smith-9780679745112","title":"Japan","description":"Current Affairs\/Asian Studies \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWinner of the Overseas Press Club Award for the best book on Foreign Affairs\u003cbr\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Notable Book of the year \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA stimulating, provocative book . . . fresh and valuable. \u003cbr\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 1868, Japan abruptly transformed itself from a feudal society into a modern industrial state. In 1945, the Japanese switched just as swiftly from imperialism and emperor-worship to a democracy. Today, argues Patrick Smith, Japan is in the midst of equally sudden and important change. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this award-winning book, Smith offers a groundbreaking framework for understanding the Japan of the next millennium. This time, Smith asserts, Japan's transformation is one of consciousness--a reconception by the Japanese of their country and themselves. Drawing on the voices of Japanese artists, educators, leaders, and ordinary citizens, Smith reveals a hidden history that challenges the West's focus on Japan as a successfully modernized country. And it is through this unacknowledged history that he shows why the Japanese live in a dysfunctional system that marginalizes women, dissidents, and indigenous peoples; why the corporate warrior is a myth; and why the presence of 47,000 American troops persists as a holdover from a previous era. The future of Japan, Smit suggests, lies in its citizens' ability to create new identities and possibilities for themselves--so creating a nation where individual rights matter as much as collective economic success. Authoritative, rich in detail, \u003ci\u003eJapan: A Re-interpretation\u003c\/i\u003e is our first post-Cold War account of the Japanese and a timely guide to a society whose transformation will have a profound impact on the rest of the world in the coming years. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eExcellent . . . a penetrating examination.\u003cbr\u003e--\u003ci\u003eInternational Herald Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49555633045777,"sku":"GOR004335748","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50359513415953,"sku":"CIN0679745114VG","price":5.35,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":53065816113425,"sku":"CIN0679745114A","price":4.57,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53073776279825,"sku":"CIN0679745114G","price":3.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0679745114.jpg?v=1751451527","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/products\/japan-book-patrick-smith-9780679745112","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}