Japan's Road to Pluralism;Transforming Local Communities in the Global Era

Japan's Road to Pluralism;Transforming Local Communities in the Global Era PDF

Author: 古川俊一

Publisher:

Published: 2003-04

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13:

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Profound changes are being hewn in Japanese communities, as historical precedents, proven models, established guidelines, and fixed rules are challenged and more appropriate alternatives sought. In this volume, seven sociologists show how fundamental structures have been undergoing change at the grassroots level in Japan because of decentralization and globalization. Citizen activism in local governance is growing, in response to new societal phenomena such as an increase in the foreign resident population and weakened local industries. Along with decentralization, many local authorities are promoting new measures to actively cope with the impact of globalization and to work with nongovernmental organizations and community businesses to meet the new needs of citizens. This volume chronicles the practical and incremental changes in community-level governance and how such change has redefined the duties of prefectures and local authorities--clearly pointing toward Japan's new road to pluralism. Contributors include Kanagawa Koji (Research Institute for Regional Policy, 21st Century Hyogo Project Association), Kashiwazaki Chikako (Department of Sociology, Sophia University), Nakamura Madoka (Center for Policy Research Information, National Institute for Research Advancement), Tamura Shigeru (Local Autonomy College, Ministry of Home Affairs), and Numao Ogura Namiko (College of Economics, Nihon University). Furukawa Shun'ichi is professor of policy and planning sciences at Tsukuba University. Menju Toshihiro is senior program officer at the Japan Center for International Exchange.

Japan's Subnational Governments in International Affairs

Japan's Subnational Governments in International Affairs PDF

Author: Purnendra Jain

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2006-03-13

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 113431678X

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This book moves away from the common belief that Japan’s international relations are firmly the preserve of the national government in Japan’s highly centralised political system. Examining examples of subnational governments (SNGs) across Japan the book uncovers a significant and generally unrecognised development in Japanese politics: SNGs are ever more dynamic international actors as national borders ‘weaken’ across the world. Exploring what Japanese SNGs do, where they do it, and why, the book considers the implications of these factors for Japan’s international relations and domestic politics. By bringing to light the scope and consequences of the international actions of Japan’s SNGs, this book provides a more accurate and nuanced understanding of the country's foreign policy, at a time when it is pursuing a broader and more active profile in international affairs.

The New Global History

The New Global History PDF

Author: Bruce Mazlish

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2006-09-27

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1134131429

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From a distinguished author in the field, The New Global History is a critical inquiry into the historical process of globalization, which is seen as a distinctly twentieth century phenomenon with its roots in the age of expansion of the early modern world. Cutting across disciplinary boundaries, The New Global History offers a fresh, overarching view of the process of globalization that is always empirically based and discusses the most important themes, such as policy, trade, cultural imperialism and warfare. Bruce Mazlish argues that globalization is not something that the West has imposed upon the rest of the world, but the result of the interplay of many factors across continents. Students of history, politics and international studies, will all find this a valuable resource in the pursuit of their studies.

The SAGE Handbook of Modern Japanese Studies

The SAGE Handbook of Modern Japanese Studies PDF

Author: James D Babb

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2014-12-15

Total Pages: 673

ISBN-13: 1473908795

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A welcome addition to any reading list for those interested in contemporary Japanese society. - Roger Goodman, Nissan Professor of Modern Japanese Society, University of Oxford "I know no better book for an accessible and up-to-date introduction to this complex subject than The SAGE Handbook of Modern Japan Studies." - Hiroko Takeda, Associate Professor, Organization for Global Japanese Studies, University of Tokyo "Pioneering and nuanced in analysis, yet highly accessible and engaging in style." - Yoshio Sugimoto, Emeritus Professor, La Trobe University The SAGE Handbook of Modern Japanese Studies includes outstanding contributions from a diverse group of leading academics from across the globe. This volume is designed to serve as a major interdisciplinary reference work and a seminal text, both rigorous and accessible, to assist students and scholars in understanding one of the major nations of the world. James D. Babb is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology at Newcastle University.

Economic and Policy Lessons from Japan to Developing Countries

Economic and Policy Lessons from Japan to Developing Countries PDF

Author: T. Toyoda

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2011-11-10

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 0230355013

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Written by fifteen leading academics from the Japan Society for International Development (JASID), this book undertakes a review of Japan's economic development over the last 150 years, and seeks to clarify Japanese priorities in domestic and foreign policy for the coming decades.

Japanese Politics and Government

Japanese Politics and Government PDF

Author: Alisa Gaunder

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-02-27

Total Pages: 205

ISBN-13: 1000807045

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The revised 2nd edition of this successful textbook explores Japanese politics in the postwar era from theoretical and comparative perspectives. After providing historical context, it offers an in-depth exploration of postwar political institutions, political reform in the 1990s, the policymaking process, and the politics of economic growth and stagnation. By delving into Japan’s international relations, the book sheds light on Japan’s security and foreign policies, and Japan’s role in Asia. The textbook concludes by addressing what has changed since party alternation in 2009, the triple disaster in March 2011 and the global Covid pandemic. Themes and questions addressed throughout the text include: How and why did Japan modernize so successfully when so many other countries fell prey to colonialism and authoritarianism? What explains the Japanese economic miracle and its subsequent economic stagnation? What accounts for Japan’s successful democratization? In the international realm, why has Japan achieved economic superpower status without achieving political superpower status? What is the future trajectory of Japanese politics? Connecting Japan to larger themes in comparative politics and linking Japan’s history, institutions, policymaking process, and international relations to experiences and structures in other countries, this book is essential reading for students of Japanese or Asian Politics.

Diaspora without Homeland

Diaspora without Homeland PDF

Author: Sonia Ryang

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2009-04-27

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 0520916190

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More than one-half million people of Korean descent reside in Japan today—the largest ethnic minority in a country often assumed to be homogeneous. This timely, interdisciplinary volume blends original empirical research with the vibrant field of diaspora studies to understand the complicated history, identity, and status of the Korean minority in Japan. An international group of scholars explores commonalities and contradictions in the Korean diasporic experience, touching on such issues as citizenship and belonging, the personal and the political, and homeland and hostland.

Transnational Faiths

Transnational Faiths PDF

Author: Hugo Córdova Quero

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-02-17

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 1317006941

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Japan has witnessed the arrival of thousands of immigrants, since the 1990s, from Latin America, especially from Brazil and Peru. Along with immigrants from other parts of the world, they all express the new face of Japan - one of multiculturality and multi-ethnicity. Newcomers are having a strong impact in local faith communities and playing an unexpected role in the development of communities. This book focuses on the role that faith and religious institutions play in the migrants' process of settlement and integration. The authors also focus on the impact of immigrants' religiosity amidst religious groups formerly established in Japan. Religion is an integral aspect of the displacement and settlement process of immigrants in an increasing multi-ethnic, multicultural and pluri-religious contemporary Japan. Religious institutions and their social networks in Japan are becoming the first point of contact among immigrants. This book exposes and explores the often missed connection of the positive role of religion and faith-based communities in facilitating varied integrative ways of belonging for immigrants. The authors highlight the faith experiences of immigrants themselves by bringing their voices through case studies, interviews, and ethnographic research throughout the book to offer an important contribution to the exploration of multiculturalism in Japan.

International Friendships

International Friendships PDF

Author: Agnaldo Garcia

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2016-12-14

Total Pages: 145

ISBN-13: 1443845000

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This volume discusses theoretical and empirical issues concerning international interpersonal friendships and the influence of society and culture in the different contexts in which these friendships may be found, particularly in international migration and international education. Advances in communication technology and new social and economic scenarios have enabled closer contact between people from different countries and cultures. According to the United Nations, the total number of international migrants worldwide in 2015 was about 244 million people. This increase in international human contacts raises questions about how people relate with people from other countries and cultures. In a growing international context, international friendships are relevant not only as a source of satisfaction and happiness, but also as the basis for a peaceful cohabitation and cooperation between people from different origins. Beyond theoretical issues, empirical data on international friendships involving Latin American countries or citizens are included here, in themes such as international migration and international education. The Latin America population is expected to reach 625 million inhabitants by 2016, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Efforts to foster international friendships are discussed, as are perspectives of friendship as a factor for a better integration of human populations. The book will appeal to students and researchers in psychology and family studies, sociology, communication studies, Latin American studies, and anthropology.

Living Cities in Japan

Living Cities in Japan PDF

Author: André Sorensen

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 0415547075

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Over the last fifteen years local citizens' movements have spread rapidly throughout Japan. This volume examines the growth and nature of civil society participation in local urban and environmental governance.