InfoTrac Reader Japan At times, it is hard to believe that barely a decade ago, pundits were writing about Japan’s economic clout and the iron triangle of civil servants, business executives, and LDP politicians which made it work. Since 1992, when its "bubble economy" collapsed, Japan has been struggling economically and politically. There has been little economic growth, this in a country which used to average a 10% increase in GNP each year. Weak leader followed weak leader, and the LDP saw its nearly 40-year control over the prime ministry come to an end. Corruption scandals have finally tarnished the reputation of enough politicians to cause a decline in trust in government in general; they include one in 2004 that involved major politicians who skipped paying premiums to the national pension system. One should not overestimate Japan’s problems. It remains the world’s second strongest economy, and its governing institutions remain stable and legitimate. However, Japan is in a transitional period in which it seems all but certain that it will not be able to maintain much of its tight control over its own domestic market and international trade. Japan is increasingly part of a globalizing economy in which it is being obliged to open its own market and relocate much of its manufacturing activity elsewhere because of the high costs of Japanese labor. By mid-2004 Japan was pulling out of its decade-long economic slump as its economy registered strong growth. There was some sense that things might improve when the charismatic Koizumi Junichiro (lasts names are rendered first in Japanese) became prime minister in 2002. Few doubt Koizumi’s commitment to reform, but he has, so far, been able to accomplish relatively little because he is beholden to the LDP politicians who have been at the heart of that iron triangle for more than half a century. Courting ASEAN: under Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro Japan has moved smartly to put its ASEAN policy back on track. Kojima Akira considers the challenges ahead. (Viewpoints) Kojima Akira. Look Japan March 2004 v49 i576 p18(1) (849 words) Intimations of a sunrise - Japan's election; To come. (How will Japan's election affect reform?) The Economist (US) Nov 15, 2003 v369 i8350 p24US (2566 words) Election won, civil war resumed; Japan's general election; Koizumi's flawed victory. Global Agenda Nov 10, 2003 pNA (848 words) A fair fight, at last; Japan. (Japan's election) The Economist (US) Nov 8, 2003 v369 i8349 p41US (760 words) Electoral incentives and policy preferences: mixed motives behind party defections in Japan. Steven R. Reed, Ethan Scheiner. British Journal of Political Science July 2003 v33 i3 p469(22) (10736 words) The other Japanese occupation. (Articles). John W. Dower. The Nation July 7, 2003 v277 i1 p11 (2280 words) Migrants, national security and September 11: the case of Japan. Satoru Furuya. Race and Class April-June 2003 v44 i4 p52(11) (4513 words) Teaching "comfort women" issues in women's studies courses. (military sex slaves) Margaret D. Stetz. Radical Teacher Spring 2003 p17(6) Christensen, Ray, "The Effect of Electoral Reform on Campaign Practices in Japan." Asian Survey. 38(1998). Electoral reform has had a mixed track record since the early 1990s. However, the switch to a new electoral system based on 300 single member districts has helped reduce the fragmentation of the party system and the role of factions within the LDP. Advanced. Fujii, Rina, "Koizumi’s Bad Hair Day." Harvard International Review. 24(2002). A good overview of Koizumi and the problems he faces with a reference to his notoriously hard to control hairdo. Basic. Kato, Junko. "When the Party Breaks Up." American Political Science Review. 92 (1998). This article explores the break up of the LDP and the Democratic Socialist Party and focuses on the individualist orientations in the former and the stronger group loyalty in the latter. Advanced. Lincoln, Edward J. "Japan in 2001: A Depressing Year." Asian Survey. 42(2002). The most recent in a series of annual articles about things Japanese. As the title suggests, the author finds little to optimistic about in Japanese political life in the first years of the twenty first century. Intermediate. McCormack, Gavan. "Japan’s Uncomfortable Past." History Today. 48 (1998). As a whole, the Japanese have done less than the Germans in exploring their fascist and militarist past in everything from the popular press to school curricula. In recent years, it has been harder for them to do so. Basic. Overholt, William. "Japan’s Economy at War With Itself." Foreign Affairs. 81 (Jan-Feb 2002). One of the few accessible articles summarizing Japan’s economic problems for non-economists. Intermediate. Peng-er, Lam. "Structural Reform in Japan: Promises and Problems." Asian Affairs. 29(2002). This article examines Koizumi’s rise to power but argues that he is not likely to have much success with his reform efforts given the general weakness of the prime ministry and because of the power traditional interests still exercise in the LDP. Intermediate Sakai, Keiko, "Japan-Iraq Relations." Arab Studies Quarterly. 23 (2001). Though written before the crisis which led to the 2003 war, this article explores the two, occasionally conflicting, dimensions to Japanese policy toward Iraq-its dependence on foreign oil and its close security relationship with the United States. Advanced.