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The Modernization of Japan, 2005.
This paper discusses the modernization of Japan while examining Mikiso Hane's book, "Peasants, Rebels, Women, and Outcastes".
975 words (approx. 3.9 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 34.95
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Abstract
This paper details the modernization of Japan's society through an examination of both the nation's factual history and the memoirs of a Japanese reformist. The writer mentions the struggles faced by the lower classes of Japan, with particular emphasis on the peasant class, as the country slowly struggles to overcome the strict hierarchical structure of the feudal period. As Western ways become more accepted in Japanese culture and the country becomes more industrialized, the traditional feudal order is abolished. However, the concept of "knowing one's place" remains instilled in the Japanese peasants, who had for centuries been conditioned to accept the hierarchy. In this article the writer demonstrates the lingering effects of a hierarchical structure on a modern Japan.
From the Paper
"By detailing the plights of the underprivileged classes in "Peasants, Rebels, Women, and Outcastes", Mikiso Hane presents a very clear picture of the effects of the modernization of Japan. The acceptance of Western culture in the "modern century" left an incredible weight that was borne primarily by the lower classes, and although Japan was rapidly becoming an industrialized country, "starvation, infanticide, abortion, and selling daughters into prostitution did not cease". Hane's book closely examines the struggles faced by the lower classes of Japan, with particular emphasis on the peasant class, as the country slowly struggled to overcome the strict hierarchical structure of the feudal period."
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A Comparative Analysis of Modernization in China and Japan, 2006.
A discussion of Barrington Moore's book comparing modernization efforts in Japan and China entitled "Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World."
1,816 words (approx. 7.3 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 58.95
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Abstract
This paper reviews and analyzes Barrington Moore's book about Japanese political leaders and why they were able to launch a successful modernization effort nearly a century earlier than political leaders in China. The paper explains that Moore does this by comparing and contrasting the ideological, social and political histories of the two countries and then, in greater detail, discusses those comparisons.
From the Paper
"In China, an upper class consisting of scholar-officials and landlords wielded considerable influence. The system of examinations by which individuals acquired imperial posts produced an elite group of classically educated men who used their government positions to increase their families' wealth and land holdings. The means of wealth acquisition were less than legal in most cases, but graft was socially acceptable though illicit. Chinese motivation for development of personal wealth reflected in large part the patrilineal lineage mechanism in place. For the benefit of his family, then, the Chinese scholar used his power to accumulate wealth for his descendants. The avenues leading to the examinations were not equally accessible to all, however, so the peasants were essentially excluded from imperial posts. The significant characteristics of the relationship between the gentry and the peasantry will be described shortly."
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Modernization of Japan, 2002.
This paper explores the transformation of Japan into a modern society and culture.
1,660 words (approx. 6.6 pages), 10 sources, MLA, $ 53.95
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Abstract
The paper begins by discussing Japan?s long history of tradition and its structure and composition of society before modernization. The paper studies barriers that impeded the country?s entry into the modern world - the role of Japanese women, unawareness of the most important technological advances of the 20th century and arts, entertainment and the geisha culture. Next, the paper examines the Meiji era and Japan?s abrupt transformation to modernity. The paper concludes by looking at how Japan has managed to retain its traditions while becoming part of the modern world.
From the Paper
"The word ?modernize? is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as: to make modern in appearance, style or character; to accept or adopt modern ways, ideas or style. If we utilize this definition to explain modernization, we can assume that the term refers to the application of such an action in a particular instance. At any given point in time, ?modern? pertains to the latest developments in the area of discussion.
The modernization of a culture is often a difficult undertaking; the degree of difficulty involved corresponds to the rate at which that culture has developed. One of the most incredible modernization processes in the world?s history occurred over less than half a century, in the still-enigmatic country of Japan."
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"The Rise of Modern Japan", 2006.
This paper reviews W. G. Beasley's book "The Rise of Modern Japan: Political, Economic and Social Change since 1850."
990 words (approx. 4.0 pages), 1 source, APA, $ 35.95
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Abstract
This paper provides a clear and comprehensive understanding of Japan's passage from a largely unknown agricultural state to a troubled economic superpower and traces the country's march toward modernity while emphasizing political and economic developments. The author of this paper finds the book, which contains a history survey and primary facts on Japan of the last 150 years, may not be well suited for the academic expert concerned with recondite theory or a reader in search of instant expertise.
From the Paper
"Beasley's occasional difficulty balancing detail and generalization is a minor flaw in a work that usually provides convincing support for conclusions. His study is also one of the most up-to-date general treatment of modern Japanese history. Of course, newness for the sake of newness is not always an advantage. Beasley's concluding chapter 17, "The Postwar Pattern Unravels, 1989-1994," is really a fifteen-page chronology in narrative form that is largely free of any analysis of where the unraveling might deliver Japan. Drawbacks to the book are that the notes are few and lack the comprehensiveness necessary for the serious student."
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Modern Anthropology and Japan, 2002.
This paper discusses the modern concept of the field of anthropology and then analyzes the works: Timon Screech?s ?Sex and the Floating World: Erotic Images in Japan, 1700-1820" and Ruth Benedict?s "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword?.
1,835 words (approx. 7.3 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 58.95
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Abstract
This paper states that the first generations of ethnographic considered their subjects to be exotic and very different from themselves; whereas, modern anthropologist now approach their subjects as people who are not exactly like themselves and are no longer thought to have inferior cultures. The author continues that this change in anthropology has produced entirely new ways of writing ethnographies. The author applies this approach to the analysis of Timon Screech?s 1999 ?Sex and the Floating World: Erotic Images in Japan, 1700-1820?, which investigates the nexus of gender, sexuality and ambition in ways that are attentive to the intra-cultural variations amongst people and to the famous telling ethnographic story of ambition in Japan in Ruth Benedict?s national character study ?The Chrysanthemum and the Sword?, 1989.
From the Paper
"Another striking difference between Benedict?s work and the Screech?s is that Benedict?s own gender is invisible in the work: We do not have any sense that this is the perspective of a woman writing about a patriarchal society. This is certainly not true in the modern ethnography, which begins with recognition of the high degree of intracultural variation that exists when one takes as one?s cultural reference group an entire nation-state. This attentiveness to individual variation was not yet current during the creation of the kind of ethnography of first-world nations known as national character studies that were popular in the 1930s and 1940s and reflects much of the sensitivity of defining group status that Anderson emphasizes."
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Role of Women in Modern Japan, 2002.
The paper analyzes the remarkable progress Japanese women have made in asserting their rights over the last century.
4,095 words (approx. 16.4 pages), 7 sources, MLA, $ 110.95
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Abstract
The paper examines Japan's change in foreign policy and resulting economic growth in the second half of the 20th Century, which allowed women to enter the workforce. The paper also looks at the social changes in marriage and family life that resulted from the women's employment. It also discusses the emerging Japanese women's liberation movement called "wuman ribu" and its attempts to raise social consciousness in Japan. The paper notes the differences in attitude between Western and Japanese cultures and the fact that Japan still has a long way to go before it achieves sexual equality, especially in the workplace.
Table of Contents
Modern Japan - How is it different?
What Women Gained
Women's Movement In Japan
Women In Economy
From the Paper
"Women in Japan in the past 50 years have made a huge progress as far as their presence in the workplace is concerned. We have seen that most women in the past few decades decided to pursue a career instead of staying at home and raising children. While this has resulted in tremendous economic benefits for women, it has also affected their personal lives, which is the reason why most of them are facing a major dilemma today. They are not certain if they should continue being a part of the workforce or is it better to stay at home and do justice to their traditional roles. But women in Japan still complain of discrimination and inequality in the workplace. Sometimes it is about promotion that they deserved but did not get, at others it can be about the pay scale, which often tilts in favor of their male counterparts."
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Modern Japan and The Meiji Restoration, 2002.
Depicts the effects that the Meiji restoration had on Japanese propaganda in WWII.
1,615 words (approx. 6.5 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 52.95
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Abstract
The Meiji Revolution, which came about at the end of the nineteenth century, toppled the Tokugawa shogunate, "restored" imperial rule and transformed Japan from a feudal into a modern state. This paper examines how the ambiguous constitutional structure, military orientation and nationalist ideology bequeathed by the Meiji Restoration led Japan to military disaster in WWII. It shows how racist Meiji ideology affected the propaganda put out by the Japanese during the war. The paper contains illustrations.
From the Paper
"The Japanese created a copycat theory that meant they adapted to the western industrialization. However, they had a hidden agenda to create a more superior power than the west. All they would do is innovate and mutate the capitalist ideology. While this was happening the Japanese would become more anti west and have more of a feeling of moral superiority. A new world order would show where they belonged in the world and how they would become greater."
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Japan's Modern Myths, 2007.
This paper discusses Japan as viewed in 'Japan's Modern Myths: Ideology in the Late Meiji Period' by Carol Gluck.
849 words (approx. 3.4 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 30.95
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Abstract
In this article the writer discusses Professor Carol Gluck's views regarding Japan as portrayed in Chapter 5 and 6 of 'Japan's Modern Myths: Ideology in the Late Meiji Period'. The writer points out that Professor Gluck argues that Japanese society was and is a society founded upon the values of the collective, rather than upon the individual. Further, the writer notes that her view of Japanese civic virtues is extremely broad and suggests that on every level of public and personal morality, the nation is given greater value than the lives of its citizens. The writer then discusses that, in Chapter 6, Gluck paints the period as a constant struggle between the forces of nationalism and collectivism versus the "social fever" for modernity, or Westernization, that is still present and, in Gluck's opinion, was a natural, human impulse in contrast to the expressed will of the state.
From the Paper
"Gluck suggests that the Meiji policies of the late 19th and early 20th century Japanese government leading up to World War II made civil obedience and national sacrifice a religious calling. Gluck's views of the causes of World War II thus take on a very socially deterministic cast. In her view, because the Emperor was divine, everything he did and was done in the name of Japan was seen as right and just. In terms of Japanese religion, although Gluck argues that although it might seem Buddhism had had a strong religious presence in Japanese morality, she believes this should not be over-emphasized, stating that Buddhism was often perceived as a foreign religion by the state In contrast, Gluck stresses the emphasis on the indigenous Japanese religion Shinto as a state religion. She sees Shintoism, as opposed to the imported philosophy of Buddhism, to form the true philosophy of the civil cult of the state. She points out that the Shintoists continued to press their claims for the institutionalization of Shinto as a separate office of state, apart from Buddhists."
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Japanese Modernization, 2007.
This paper discuses the modernization of Japan between the period of the Meiji restoration and the end of the Taisho period in 1927.
1,065 words (approx. 4.3 pages), 4 sources, APA, $ 37.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that the restoration of the Emperor to the throne, which began the Meiji period, led to a series of official policies, such as a centralized government and moving the capitol to Tokyo, which were conducive to the process of technology and cultural modernity. The author points out that, in the Meiji period, acceptance of Western influences were shown in the cultural milieus. The paper stresses that, during the Taisho period, western influences brought about democratization as demonstrated in a two party political system and calls for universal suffrage. The author argues that Japan's failure in World War II began during the Taisho period with Japan's policy of the colonization of Taiwan in 1895 and Korea in 1910.
From the Paper
"The Meiji restoration refers to the fact that the traditional emperor of Japan was essentially returned to power in 1868 following an extended period of Shogunate rule led by the Tokugawa clan. The Tokugawa clan ruled Japan from the early 1600s until 1867 and was largely responsible for Japan's increasing isolation from surrounding countries as well as fierce resistance to intrusion by the Western powers seeking access to its markets. Perhaps the single most pivotal point, vis-a-vis opening up and accepting the reality of the forces of modernization, was a series of visits by Commodore Perry of the U.S. Navy beginning in 1852."
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Japan and Spain, 2002.
An essay comparing and contrasting the culture and modernization of
Japan and Spain.
1,422 words (approx. 5.7 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 47.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses Spain and Japan - two countries that have been greatly influenced by the West, both politically and culturally, yet, each has held onto its basic individual tradition and ethnicity. The paper shows that while Spain has historically been ruled by a monarchy, Japan?s rulers have been emperors. It examines how, since the middle of the last century, Western politics has helped redefine government, as modern technology reshaped the economy and lifestyle.
From the Paper
"Although, Japan and Spain rest on different continents, they do share many similarities. Both welcomed the influence of Western culture, however, Japan, appeared more accepting and eager earlier than Spain. Both countries are rich in tradition and culture and have kept their heritage alive while embracing Western thought and ideologies. Spain seems to have lost years under General Franco?s dictatorship regarding technology and modernization while Japan thrived in modernization early on under Emperor Meiji. Both societies are proud people with a rich and nurturing history and tradition."
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The Role of Women in Japan's Development, 2000.
A look at Japanese women throughout Japanese history and their role and function, as compared to modern day Japan.
1,820 words (approx. 7.3 pages), 8 sources, $ 58.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at women's role in Japan's modern era development. Their presence and influence is shown by looking outside the events of conventional historical record. The powerful political influence of ruling class women in ancient Japanese society is looked at. The Edo period is seen as the era that forced women to be subordinate and the influence of the West the factor which began to open Japanese women to participation in social spheres once more.
From the Paper
"Studies of Japan?s modern era development emphasize its industry, bureaucracy and military, focusing on the political, merchant and capitalist elite and ignoring those upon whom the major costs of development was imposed, particularly women. Japan?s modernization came at a social cost borne by the poor, the disadvantaged and women (Hane, 1982). Although their contribution has typically been marginalized, women contributed significantly to the development process in many ways.
Japanese women had an essential role in the domestic sphere and in the economy, but their influence and contributions did not move them toward sexual and legal equality, as was the case for women in the west. This was primarily due to the social and legal conservative imperatives relegating women to the lowest status of every class strata; however, their presence and influence may be seen by taking a larger, and peripheral, view outside the events of conventional historical record."
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Hirohito, 2006.
This paper discusses Japanese Emperor Hirohito in the book 'Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan' by Herbert P. Bix.
1,431 words (approx. 5.7 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 47.95
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Abstract
In this article the writer looks at the Japanese Emperor Hirohito using Herbert P. Bix's extensive biography 'Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan'. The writer discusses that Bix demonstrates in the book how the representative of Japanese traditions and of ties to Imperial Japan incidentally ruled during the period that saw Japan enter the modern world and become a world economic power. The writer maintains that the conventional view of the aggressive stance taken by Japan in the 1930s and into the 1940s is that Hirohito simply went along with what his ministers demanded. The writer shows that Bix has a different view and uses primary sources and documentation to demonstrate that the Emperor took a more active role in the push for war. The writer concludes with Bix's analysis that Hirohito was indeed culpable for the attack on Pearl Harbor and for the war itself.
From the Paper
"The details of his life are covered, showing him to have been a man of the Twentieth Century from his birth in 1901 to his death in 1989. He was the grandson of Emperor Meiji, and his father, Emperor Taisho, attained power in 1912. Hirohito was tied to the past largely in terms of his royal role, but he himself studied to be a marine biologist and was interested in the natural sciences. He also visited Europe, the first Japanese prince eve to do so. He became emperor when his father died in 1926. The constitution of Japan restricted the actions of the emperor so that he could only act on the advice of his ministers and his chiefs of staff, but Hirohito showed himself willing to act when he deemed it necessary in spite of these restrictions."
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Military Buildup in the Meiji Period, 1993.
A look at the role of militarization in the modernization and development of Japan in the 19th century.
2,025 words (approx. 8.1 pages), 8 sources, $ 71.95
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From the Paper
"The Meiji period was the beginning of the development of economic life in Japan at a rapid pace. The period was also a time of military buildup, and this buildup has been seen as the major contribution to building the technological foundation for the successful industrialization to follow. This has been suggested by Kozo Yamamura, who holds that the strong army policy was the principle motivation for creating and expanding the arsenals and other publicly financed elements of war that would act as effective centers for the absorption and dissemination of Western technologies and skills and that this same policy provided the demand needed to assure the survival and growth of struggling private firms in important industrial fields.. The rate of growth for Japan since the Meiji period has been analyzed and "provides a record of success which is widely envied by the..."
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Japanese History from the Ancient Times to Modern Day, 2002.
An outline of the history of Japan from its first inhabitants to the modern industrialized power nation of today.
2,500 words (approx. 10.0 pages), 21 sources, MLA, $ 75.95
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Abstract
The following paper discusses the exciting course of the history of one of the world?s most prominent and influential countries ? Japan. It examines Japan's days through simple life in the ancient times (Yayoi, Jomon, and Heian periods) to years of civil unrest during the Feudal times, dominated by constant warfare for the position of ultimate power ? shogun. This paper also looks at Japan's culture, her people and her ideology, as time passes into the Meiji restoration. The writer discusses Japan's fierce struggle for global prominence as she tries to expand beyond her tiny island nation onto mainland Asia, only to be sucked into the global conflict of World War II. The writer reflects on the country's vital role in this war, and analyzes her sad defeat and ultimate rebirth out of one of the darkest periods in history. The paper also has a brief summary of Japanese history from the 1970?s to the present day.
From the Paper
"The Japanese archipelago was first inhabited more than 100,000 years ago, when it still comprised part of the continental Asian land mass. Archaeological discoveries indicate that the ancient people of this time (The Old Stone Age or Paleolithic Age) survived on a very basic diet provided through daily hunting and gathering. The New Stone, or Neolithic age, dating at 10,000 years BC, is characterized by the manufacture of refined stone implements, the development of advanced hunting techniques using bows and arrows, and the production of earthenware containers for cooking and storing food. This age ushered in the Jomon period (around 8000 to 300 BC) so named after the jomon (cord-marked) style of pottery which originated during this time. Agriculture, primarily rice planting, and metalworking techniques were introduced from mainland Asia around 300 BC, towards the end of the period. The native peoples of Japan now began incorporating farming tools, metal weapons and bronze swords, and mirrors into their daily life and culture. The new machinery helped increase agricultural production, mirrors were used in religious rituals, and the newfound weapons helped settle any domestic disputes between rival Japanese tribes."
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The Stagnant Pre-Modern Economies of East Asia, 2002.
A discussion of how the pre-modern societies of East Asia were considered isolated and stagnant focusing on China and Japan.
1,150 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 4 sources, $ 44.95
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Abstract
This essay will assume the position that the pre-modern societies of East Asia were isolated and stagnant. It is recognized that this argument is controversial, and dependent upon certain geographical and social assumptions. "isolation" and "stagnation" are relative concepts. It will be seen that two of the main economies of the region - that of China and Japan - possessed flourishing domestic economies and some degree of trade with other economies in the region. However, given the inescapable fact that European colonial powers in this era came to dominate Asia, first economically and then politically, a balanced view of the pre-modern economic history of the region must explain why this came to pass. Key to this explanation is a recognition that, in comparison to the nations of the West, the pre-modern economies of China and Japan were stagnant and isolated.
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