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The Making of Modern Japan
Power, Crisis, and the Promise of Transformation
Series: - Studies in Critical Social Sciences, Volume: 191/07
- New Scholarship in Political Economy, Volume: 191/07
Author:
In The Making of Modern Japan, Myles Carroll offers a sweeping account of post-war Japanese political economy, exploring the transition from the post-war boom to the crisis of today and the connections between these seemingly discrete periods.
Carroll explores the multifarious international and domestic political, economic, social and cultural conditions that fortified Japan’s post-war hegemonic order and enabled decades of prosperity and stability. Yet since the 1990s, a host of political, economic, social and cultural changes has left this same hegemonic order out of step with the realities of the contemporary world, a contradiction that has led to three decades of crisis in Japanese society. Can Japan make the bold changes required to reverse its decline?
Carroll explores the multifarious international and domestic political, economic, social and cultural conditions that fortified Japan’s post-war hegemonic order and enabled decades of prosperity and stability. Yet since the 1990s, a host of political, economic, social and cultural changes has left this same hegemonic order out of step with the realities of the contemporary world, a contradiction that has led to three decades of crisis in Japanese society. Can Japan make the bold changes required to reverse its decline?
Myles Carroll is Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Core Research at Ochanomizu University, with a Ph.D. in Political Science (2020) from York University. He has published many articles on social reproduction and political economy in post-war Japan
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
LIST OF TABLE AND FIGURES
1. Introduction
Analytical approach
Outline of the argument
Outline of chapters
2. Lineages of Japanese political economy
Creative conservatism and the developmental state: Japan’s post-war boom
Institutional approaches to the study of Japanese politics
The long decline: Theorizing crisis in Heisei Japan
The welfare state and social reproduction in post-war Japan
Conclusion
3. Towards a Gramscian understanding of Japanese political economy
Historical materialist methodology
Hegemony
Hegemony and hegemonic order
Social reproduction
Conditions for hegemonic order
Historic bloc
Explaining change: Conjunctural and organic
Organic crisis
World order, forms of state, social forces
Relations of force
Caesarism, passive revolution and trasformismo
Political ecology
Towards a Gramscian feminist approach to the Japanese post-war order
Conclusion
4. The post-war hegemonic order
The post-war hegemonic order
Conditions of post-war hegemonic order
Geopolitics: The Yoshida Doctrine and the US-Japan Security Treaty (Anpo)
Global political economy: The Bretton Woods System
The electoral and party system: The rise of LDP dominance
The state form: The rise of bureaucracy-driven governance
Production and capital: Japanese developmentalism and the keiretsu
Production and labour: Enterprise unionism and lifetime employment
Production and the petit bourgeoisie: Clientelism and the old middle class
Gender and the family: Extended families and the gender division of labour
Demography and welfare: Young society, small welfare state
Nation and ideology: The pacifist nationalism of the post-war era
Environment and national resources: Cheap oil
The post-war Japanese historic bloc
Conclusion
5. Contradictions and transitions of the Shōwa era
Structural changes to world order
The Nixon shocks
The oil shocks
American trade frictions and the Plaza Accord
Structural demographic changes
The beginning of an aging society
The decline of extended families
The rise of women in the workforce
Political changes
Institutional changes
The heyday of the kōenkai
The rise of factions and the PARC
Institutional changes and continuities in Japanese business relations
Lifetime employment and the dual system
Clientelism and the construction state
Implications of these changes for hegemonic order
Economic implications
Political implications
Social implications
Conclusion
6. The organic crisis of the Heisei era
Historical background to the crisis
1989-1993: Two electoral shocks
1993-1996: Coalition governments, political reform
1996-2001: LDP’s return to power, administrative and financial reform
2001-2006: Rise of Koizumi, postal privatization
2006-2009: LDP impasse
2009-2012: Rise and fall of the DPJ
Conditions of the crisis
Geopolitics: Security Alliance in a post-Cold War world
Global political economy: Japan in a global neoliberal era
The electoral and party system: Crisis, reform, and the end of LDP rule
The state form: Institutional decay and administrative reform
Production and capital: The Americanization of Japanese capitalism?
Production and labour: Deregulation and the rise of the working poor
Production and the petit bourgeoisie: End of the pork-barrel system?
Gender and the family: The end of the male breadwinner model and shōshika
Demography and welfare: The rise of the ‘pension state’
Nation and ideology: ‘Normal country’ or tan’itsu minzoku?
Political ecology: Climate change, the nuclear turn and 3/11
Implications of the crisis
Summary of the economic accumulation crisis
Summary of the political legitimation crisis
Summary of the social reproduction crisis
Conclusion
7. Caesarism, passive revolution and the return of the LDP under Abe
Abe’s political comeback
Breaking the deadlock: The Caesarism of “Abenomics”
Breaking the deadlock through expansionary Keynesian policy
Breaking the deadlock through neoliberal economic reform
Breaking the deadlock through welfare state expansion
Implications of Caesarism under Abe
The real Abe? Passive revolution, militarism and soft authoritarianism
Asserting control over the LDP
Passive revolution in administrative reform
Passive revolution in domestic security policy
Abe’s passive revolution
Consequences of Abe’s reign for the hegemonic order
Capital accumulation
Political legitimation
Social reproduction
Conclusion
8. Whither post-Abe Japan? Four scenarios for the future
The neo-conservative option
Overview
Relations of force behind neo-conservatism
The neo-conservative solution to organic crisis
Challenges and contradictions of neo-conservatism
The neo-liberal path
Overview
Relations of force behind neo-liberalism
The neo-liberal solution to organic crisis
Challenges and contradictions of neo-liberalism
Back to the future? Neo-communitarianism
Overview
Relations of force behind neo-liberalism
The neo-liberal solution to organic crisis
Challenges and contradictions of neo-liberalism
Counter-hegemony and a democratic socialist future
Overview
Relations of force behind democratic socialism
The democratic socialist solution to organic crisis
Challenges and contradictions of democratic socialism
Conclusion
9. Conclusion
Contradictions for hegemonic order: Political legitimation
Contradictions for hegemonic order: Capital accumulation
Contradictions for hegemonic order: Social reproduction
Overarching theoretical implications of the argument
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
LIST OF TABLE AND FIGURES
1. Introduction
Analytical approach
Outline of the argument
Outline of chapters
2. Lineages of Japanese political economy
Creative conservatism and the developmental state: Japan’s post-war boom
Institutional approaches to the study of Japanese politics
The long decline: Theorizing crisis in Heisei Japan
The welfare state and social reproduction in post-war Japan
Conclusion
3. Towards a Gramscian understanding of Japanese political economy
Historical materialist methodology
Hegemony
Hegemony and hegemonic order
Social reproduction
Conditions for hegemonic order
Historic bloc
Explaining change: Conjunctural and organic
Organic crisis
World order, forms of state, social forces
Relations of force
Caesarism, passive revolution and trasformismo
Political ecology
Towards a Gramscian feminist approach to the Japanese post-war order
Conclusion
4. The post-war hegemonic order
The post-war hegemonic order
Conditions of post-war hegemonic order
Geopolitics: The Yoshida Doctrine and the US-Japan Security Treaty (Anpo)
Global political economy: The Bretton Woods System
The electoral and party system: The rise of LDP dominance
The state form: The rise of bureaucracy-driven governance
Production and capital: Japanese developmentalism and the keiretsu
Production and labour: Enterprise unionism and lifetime employment
Production and the petit bourgeoisie: Clientelism and the old middle class
Gender and the family: Extended families and the gender division of labour
Demography and welfare: Young society, small welfare state
Nation and ideology: The pacifist nationalism of the post-war era
Environment and national resources: Cheap oil
The post-war Japanese historic bloc
Conclusion
5. Contradictions and transitions of the Shōwa era
Structural changes to world order
The Nixon shocks
The oil shocks
American trade frictions and the Plaza Accord
Structural demographic changes
The beginning of an aging society
The decline of extended families
The rise of women in the workforce
Political changes
Institutional changes
The heyday of the kōenkai
The rise of factions and the PARC
Institutional changes and continuities in Japanese business relations
Lifetime employment and the dual system
Clientelism and the construction state
Implications of these changes for hegemonic order
Economic implications
Political implications
Social implications
Conclusion
6. The organic crisis of the Heisei era
Historical background to the crisis
1989-1993: Two electoral shocks
1993-1996: Coalition governments, political reform
1996-2001: LDP’s return to power, administrative and financial reform
2001-2006: Rise of Koizumi, postal privatization
2006-2009: LDP impasse
2009-2012: Rise and fall of the DPJ
Conditions of the crisis
Geopolitics: Security Alliance in a post-Cold War world
Global political economy: Japan in a global neoliberal era
The electoral and party system: Crisis, reform, and the end of LDP rule
The state form: Institutional decay and administrative reform
Production and capital: The Americanization of Japanese capitalism?
Production and labour: Deregulation and the rise of the working poor
Production and the petit bourgeoisie: End of the pork-barrel system?
Gender and the family: The end of the male breadwinner model and shōshika
Demography and welfare: The rise of the ‘pension state’
Nation and ideology: ‘Normal country’ or tan’itsu minzoku?
Political ecology: Climate change, the nuclear turn and 3/11
Implications of the crisis
Summary of the economic accumulation crisis
Summary of the political legitimation crisis
Summary of the social reproduction crisis
Conclusion
7. Caesarism, passive revolution and the return of the LDP under Abe
Abe’s political comeback
Breaking the deadlock: The Caesarism of “Abenomics”
Breaking the deadlock through expansionary Keynesian policy
Breaking the deadlock through neoliberal economic reform
Breaking the deadlock through welfare state expansion
Implications of Caesarism under Abe
The real Abe? Passive revolution, militarism and soft authoritarianism
Asserting control over the LDP
Passive revolution in administrative reform
Passive revolution in domestic security policy
Abe’s passive revolution
Consequences of Abe’s reign for the hegemonic order
Capital accumulation
Political legitimation
Social reproduction
Conclusion
8. Whither post-Abe Japan? Four scenarios for the future
The neo-conservative option
Overview
Relations of force behind neo-conservatism
The neo-conservative solution to organic crisis
Challenges and contradictions of neo-conservatism
The neo-liberal path
Overview
Relations of force behind neo-liberalism
The neo-liberal solution to organic crisis
Challenges and contradictions of neo-liberalism
Back to the future? Neo-communitarianism
Overview
Relations of force behind neo-liberalism
The neo-liberal solution to organic crisis
Challenges and contradictions of neo-liberalism
Counter-hegemony and a democratic socialist future
Overview
Relations of force behind democratic socialism
The democratic socialist solution to organic crisis
Challenges and contradictions of democratic socialism
Conclusion
9. Conclusion
Contradictions for hegemonic order: Political legitimation
Contradictions for hegemonic order: Capital accumulation
Contradictions for hegemonic order: Social reproduction
Overarching theoretical implications of the argument
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
Anyone interested in post-war Japanese politics and history and critical social scientists concerned with questions of power, hegemony and crisis in advanced industrial societies.