Japanese Politics and Society

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6/7/02 Gov 232 Japanese Politics and Society Mon/Wed/Fri 10.30 am 3 11.25 pm Government 232 Fall 2002 Asian Studies 282 Henry Laurence Asian Studies Program: Tel: 725-3528 email : laurence@bowdoin.edu Office Hours: Tues/Thurs. 2.00 3 4.00 or by appointment. The course examines state-society relations in contemporary Japan, and explores the nature of Japanese democracy.

Topics include: party politics; the power of the bureaucracy; interest group representation; the political role of women; the media; and foreign relations. Special attention will be paid to the political and economic upheavals of the 1990s, and the challenges facing cLionheart d -- Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi --in 2001. Questions include: what accounts for the stability and success of Japan 9s cConservative Coalition d?

What accounts for Japan 9s phenomenal economic success, and recent economic problems? How is policy made, and how much influence do political outsiders - including women and the opposition parties - have on policy-making? How will politics develop following the recent reforms, and is the era of cmoney politics d over?

Finally, we consider Japan 9s relations with its neighbours. Readings The following are available for purchase at the Bowdoin Bookstore, and are also available on 24 hour reserve at the Hawthorne-Longfellow Library: Required Reading ... more. less.

Govt 232 Course Packet (See attached bibliography for individual readings) JAA Stockwin Governing Japan: Divided Politics in Major Economy , 3 rd ed. (Blackwell 1999) TJ Pempel Regime Shif t (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998) Yoshio Sugimoto An Introduction to Japanese Society (Cambridge: Cambridge U. Press, 1997) Jacob Schlesinger Shadow Shoguns (Simon and Schuster 1997) Okimoto, Daniel and Rohlen, Thomas, (eds) Inside the Japanese System (Stanford: Stanford U. Press, 1988) Joe Moore (ed) The Other Japan: Conflict, Compromise and Resistance (New Edition) (New York: ME Sharpe, 1997) 1 6/7/02 Gov 232 Henry Laurence Money Rules: the New Politics of Finance in Britain and Japan (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2001) Karl Taro Greenfeld Speed Tribes (HarperPerennial 1994) Recommended Reading Shintaro Ishinomori Japan Inc (The Comic Book) Vol. 2 (Sunnyvale, CA. Lanchester Press, 1996) Birnbaum (ed) Monkey Brain Sushi: New Tastes in Japanese Fiction (Tokyo: Kodansha, 1991) Requirements: - Participation : Attend all class sessions, and participate in discussions. Read all assigned readings by the final (Friday) session of the week for which they are set at the latest . I will be giving out short reading tests at random on Fridays asking you to summarize one or more of the week 9s readings. - Current events : Students should regularly follow current events in Japan in at least one quality newspaper or journal. Your knowledge of current events will be tested in both the midterm and final exams, and will improve your short papers. - Reading Memos/assignments (6 x 2- 3 pages): Each Friday, one or more study questions will be handed out in class. Six times during the semester, write a short memo, (2-3 pages = approximately 600-1,000 words ) addressing one of these questions and referring to the readings for the week. Memos are due at my mailbox in 38 College St. by 5.00pm the following Thursday at the latest. The assignment for week 2 is required. Thereafter, you may choose the specific weeks for which you write memos, but at least three must be completed before the midterm exam. - Midterm examination . Options: The above are required. In addition, all students must do one of the following A) Final Exam 2 6/7/02 Gov 232 Or B) Research Paper . Write an 5-10 page paper going into greater depth on a contemporary political issue. Need an average grade of B or better to do this option, and the specific topic must be approved by me first. 2-page prospectus due before Thanksgiving, Final Draft due first day of exam period, Dec 13 th . Grading Midterm: 15 % Final Exam or research paper: 20 % Memos: 50 % Class participation/reading quizes: 15 % * * The class participation grade is necessarily subjective, but if you never say anything in class all semester, you 9ll probably get an cF d for this section. Academic Honesty When you use information or ideas that came from someone or somewhere else, you must acknowledge the source appropriately. Please check with me if you are in doubt. Deliberate attempts to pass off someone else 9s work as your own will result in automatic failure of the course and referral to the Judicial Board. 3 6/7/02 Gov 232 Readings and Lecture Guidelines, Fall 2001 Aug 31 (F) Introduction Week 1 PreWar History Sept 3 (M) Early History Sept 5 (W) The Meiji Restoration, 1868 Sept 7 (F) Road to WW2: 1868 - 1945 R/J 7-10 Stockwin Ch. 2 Week 2 Japanese Society Sept 10 (M) cReinventing Japan d Sept 12 (W) Japanese Society Sept 14 (F) Thinking about other countries Stockwin, Ch. 3 R/J 13-16 Okimoto and Rohlen: #s 1-6 pp 1-24 Ueno and Burress (course packet) Week 3 Postwar Politics Sept 17 (M) cInside Japan Inc. d Sept 19 (W) Political History, 1946-1989 Sept 21 (F) Sources for LDP Success R/J 21-29 Stockwin Chs 4,5 Okimoto and Rohlen #s 32-35, pp 171-184 Week 4 State-led Growth Sept 24 (M) The Bureaucracy Sept 26 (W) Japanese-style Capitalism 4 6/7/02 Gov 232 Sept 28 (F) Who Rules Japan? Stockwin Ch.7 Sugimoto Ch. 8 Ramseyer and Rosenbluth Vogel cJapanese Successes: the state Okimoto and Rohlen #s 36, 37, 40, (Ikuta: Ch 1, 3) Week 5 From Bubble to Bust: the Economy in the 1990s Oct 1 (M) The Bubble Economy Oct 3 (W) The Banking Crisis Oct 5 (F) Capitalisms Compared: discussion Ishinomori cJapan Inc d entire Okimoto and Rohlen: #s 9,,15 , 16, 20, 44 Johnson cThe Foundations of Japan 9s Wealth and Power d Week 6 Politics in the 1990s Oct 8 (M) FALL VACATION NO CLASS Oct 10 (W) The 1993 Election Oct 12 (F) The LDP wins back power Stockwin chs 6,8,9 Jain cParty Politics at the Crossroads d Chalmers Johnson: Puppets and Puppeteers pp. 212-234 Week 7 Review and Midterm Oct 15 (M) KEI VISIT: No Class. Mandatory Presentation 4-6 pm Oct 17 (W) Review Session Oct 19 (F) Midterm Examination 5 6/7/02 Gov 232 Week 8 The Political Landscape in 2001 Oct 22 (M) Koizumi Wins Power: factions in 2001 Oct 24 (W) Policy Challenges for the LDP Oct 26 (F) Prospects for Reform Sakakibara cDeregulation, Japanese-Style d Others TBA Week 9 Women and Minorities Oct 29 (M) The Illusion of Homogeneity Oct 31(W) Women in Politics Nov 2 (F) Comparing Gender Roles Sugimoto: Chs 6 & 7, pp 136-192 Pharr: cRevolt of the Tea Pourers d Kubo and Gelb Ogasawara Iwao Japanese vs US women Greenfeld cKeiko d Week 10 Education Nov 5 (M) High School Excellence Nov 7 (W) Universities Nov 9 (F) Comparision of US and Japanese educational systems. Sugimoto Ch 5 pp 107-135 Okimoto and Rohlen #7, 52 & 53, pp 244-252 Greenfeld cDai d cHiro and Yoshihara d, cTusk d White cThe Japanese Educational Challenge d Week 11 A Harmonious Society? 6 6/7/02 Gov 232 Nov 12 (M) The Police and the Yakuza Nov 14 (W) Religious Groups and Nationalists Nov 16 (F) What explains Japan 9s Low Crime-rate Sugimoto Ch 10 Okimoto and Rohlen #s 38 & 39 pp 191-195, Greenfeld: cIzumi d cTats d, cOzaki d R/J 19 * Henry Laurence cBig Bang and the Sokaiya d (MOVIE: cMINBO: or, the Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion Week 12 Mass Media and Politics Nov 19 (M) The Media in Politics: watchdog or mouthpiece? Nov 21 (W) Thanksgiving no class Nov 23 (F) Thanksgiving no class Sugimoto: Ch 9 Popular Culture pp 220-244 R/J 20 Week 13 Foreign Relations Nov 26 (M) Explaining Foreign Policy Formation Nov 28 (W) Security Policy Nov 30 (F) Foreign Economic Policy Stockwin 12, R/J 36, 39 Okimoto and Rohlen # 50, pp235-242 Kent Calder: Explaining the Reactive State 7 6/7/02 Gov 232 Krauss cMedia Coverage of US-Japan Relations d Week 14 Japan in the 21 st Century Dec 3 (M) Current issues in US-Japan relations Dec 5 (W) Current issues in Japanese Politics Dec 7 (F) Summing Up: Japan as Number One? Reading TBA Dec 8-11 Reading Period Dec 12-17 Exam Period Final Exam TBA 8

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