THE JAPANESE CHALLENGE

by Robert Guillain ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 21, 1970

French journalist Robert Guillain (Le Monde) marvels at the economic miracle that is modern Japan--it is no longer just trying to catch up with the West but has in fact ""overtaken us and gone on ahead."" Galloping industrialization and urbanization change the face of the country overnight as it races confidently toward the year 2000, and the Japanese people display the drive and zeal of the future-oriented. Guillain tries to isolate the secrets behind this success story, reviewing the historical record of Japanese development, diagnosing the postwar decisions of the Japanese government (which favored economic boom over atomic bombs) and the character of the Japanese people, comparing Japanese policy in the twentieth century with that of China, and analyzing Japanese tactics vis-a-vis the American giant. Unlike the nations of Western Europe, Japan has ""managed to turn the American challenge to its own advantage,"" ""nipponizing"" what it takes from America far more than it is itself Americanized. Guillain's social-cultural-economic survey of Japan today doesn't ignore the startling contrasts between the new and the old, the shortcomings of a government that is in complete alliance with big business, the pressures on workers to kowtow to firms (generally their lifelong employers) and on students to compete for the best schools, and the disturbing side effects of rapid industrialization, but for the most part the study glows with superlatives and high hopes. Well supported by facts and statistics and presented in lively enough fashion, this is an informed look-see at ""the third most powerful nation in the world.

Pub Date: Oct. 21, 1970

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Lippincott

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1970

Categories: NONFICTION