Dog and Ghost – The Fall of Modern Japan

Author: (USA) Cole / Zhou Baoxiong et al
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-30
Features: From the end of World War II to the early 1990s, Japan was regarded as a model of successful development and a benchmark for economic growth. However, this book reveals another crisis-ridden Japan: an inflexible and corrupt bureaucratic system, a command-based financial system that led to its collapse, wasteful infrastructure investments, massive hidden fiscal deficits, industrial development that ignored environmental issues, urban renewal that destroyed cultural heritage, and an education system that emphasized rote learning over the cultivation of skills. All these issues serve as a significant warning for China's economic and social development. Anyone interested in Japan's post-war economic recovery and persistent stagnation should read The Dog and the Ghost. Unlike other Japanese observers, Cole does not criticize Japan for its "catching up with the West" in terms of economy and culture. Instead, the author, with brilliant writing and unique insight, analyzes why Japan struggles to move forward because it has not better adapted to the needs of the "modern world" in terms of "technology" and "society." From the end of World War II to the early 1990s, Japan was regarded as a model of successful development and a benchmark for economic growth. However, this book reveals another crisis-ridden Japan: an inflexible and corrupt bureaucratic system, a command-based financial system that led to its collapse, wasteful infrastructure investments, massive hidden fiscal deficits, industrial development that ignored environmental issues, urban renewal that destroyed cultural heritage, and an education system that emphasized rote learning over the cultivation of skills. All these issues serve as a significant warning for China's economic and social development. Anyone interested in Japan's post-war economic recovery and persistent stagnation should read The Dog and the Ghost. Unlike other Japanese observers, Cole does not criticize Japan for its "catching up with the West" in terms of economy and culture. Instead, the author, with brilliant writing and unique insight, analyzes why Japan struggles to move forward because it has not better adapted to the needs of the "modern world" in terms of "technology" and "society."