Course Post-Growth Era Japan

21st-century Japan has faced numerous challenges, including aggressive actions by authoritarian states like Russia, the widening poverty among the "recruitment ice-age" generation, and the rise of nationalism, xenophobia, and hate speech. At the core of these issues lies a misalignment between the various social and cultural systems that fostered prosperity in postwar Japan and the changing circumstances. The lifetime employment practices, and pacifism upheld by the US-Japan alliance that characterized postwar Japanese society have become difficult to maintain amid the declining Japanese economy and the shifting international landscape. Although the normative influence of these systems continues, Japanese society has struggled to establish a new system to supplant the postwar one.

Under these circumstances, it is crucial to take a comprehensive view of the problems Japan has faced since the end of its high-growth period and the country's responses. This lecture series (16 x 2h) will examine how Japanese society has attempted (or been compelled) to revamp various social and cultural systems, such as security, employment, labor culture, and religion, following the collapse of the “bubble economy.” It will also explore how these changes have affected people’s lives and consciousness from multidisciplinary perspectives.

The course has two main objectives. First, it aims to dismantle the image of Japanese society based on postwar Japan that has been disseminated through the works of Ezra Vogel and others. Instead of viewing Japanese society as “unique” and “standing in the opposite of the West,” students are encouraged to learn about Japanese society as it interacts with the changing international landscape, thereby cultivating their ability to imagine a more dynamic Japan. Second, by combining lectures on macro-level social conditions with those focused on individual lives, students will develop the ability to observe Japanese society from multiple perspectives. By exposing themselves to different disciplinary approaches, students will acquire skills to critically approach Japanese society from multiple perspectives in a global context. They will also learn to reflect on contemporary global challenges through the lens of East Asian Studies.

 

The omnibus course is funded to contribute to CEAS's research activities to examine current global issues through the lens of Japanese sociopolitical events and phenomena.