A Short History of Japan: From Samurai to Sony

This book is well organized and well written, and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a concise political and economic history of Japan. That is particularly true for business persons, political scientists or economists whose main interest is in the past fifty years or so of Japanese history. Slightly under half of this book covers the period from 1952, when Japan began its economic recovery in earnest, up to the current day. For that time period, the book presents a good bit of technical political and economic detail. Western readers who are looking for a cultural history of Japan are likely to be disappointed by this book. Details of the day-to-day life of the Japanese, the samurai bushido code, Kabuki theater, tea ceremonies and the many other things that make Japanese culture so distinctly different from Western culture are either not described at all or receive only a fleeting mention, while the emphasis of the narrative is on changes in the style of government and the seat of executive power. The Confucian and Shinto religions are mentioned primarily in references to their effects on the Japanese acceptance of varying degrees of authoritarian governance. I have come away from reading this book with a good understanding of the current Japanese political and economic situation and its basis in Japanese history. But I will continue my search for a good history of Japan's unique culture.

I read this book on a recent airplane ride across the USA. I had never read a book dedicated to Japanese history, nor do I usually read nonfiction for pleasure. A few words to describe this book: absorbing, descriptive, informative, and well worth reading! While most history texts are dry, this book tells a story that kept me turning the pages long past when I usually fall asleep. It examines the key issues and events with a fair, balanced hand. Movement between topics takes place logically. The depth of the inquiry is right on for an introduction, and at the same time is so transparent that the complexities of Japan's history are made that much more understandable.