Japan : A Reinterpretation

Rating:
Summary: Totally Off Base
Review: I have lived in Japan for 10 years, and I don't know where this man got all his misconceptions and false assumptions. The Japan I know is nothing like that described in this book. This ranks up there with the movie and book, Rising Sun. The sad thing is that this book has received awards and praise from the literary establishment. Don't waste your time on this.

Rating:
Summary: Good anecdotes, poor conclusions.
Review: Much like the other reviewers of this book, I too have spent time in Japan; a little over two years. Most of that was spent studying at University and thinking about the country and society I was transplanted into. As such, I have read many books on the subject and have had countless conversations with Americans, other foreigners, and Japanese about such subjects that are brought up in Smith's book.

A major problem that books such as these have is that they are either too simplistic and too naive, or they are too academic and thick. Smith's attempt is one of the rare, decent meldings of these two approaches. The problem is that it only succeeds at times.

I had spent years knowing of this book but never bothering to read it. Some friends I studied with offered their insights into it. One commented that he was required to read it alongside John Dower's "Embracing Defeat" in a university class to show the difference between good academic research (Dower) and bad (Smith). A few years later this same friend finally read Smith's book in its entirety and recommended I give it a crack. Another friend had read it twice and recommended I read it too. Both friends have extensive experience studying in and of Japan and had enough first-hand knowledge to be critical of the narrative while also absorbing insights. At least that is what I hope they felt, because that is what I felt after reading this book.

Smith has made a book that dances with academics while inviting the casual reader along for a cut on the sociological rug. It is a tough order for a work just over 300 pages and I feel was destined to be half-appreciated. The history of an entire nation--over 125-million people, 1600 years of written history, and its interactions throughout, especially the last 150 with the United States, all summarized with pronouns such as "Japan" and "they" (meaning Japan), and "us" and "we" (meaning the United States), makes for manufactured pitfalls of perspective and judgment and easy (and deserved) criticism. For me, it was thoughts such as I was thirty-four years unborn when WWII ended. I was a part of this "we" only in the most symbolic sense. The same applies to all the "they"s that I know: my Japanese friends.

As such, "Japan: A Reinterpretation" makes for good anecdotal reading. The conclusions reached can only be appreciated if the reader agrees with them through experience (meaning the reader has studied Japan and spent time there) or if the reader is very gullible. Where this leaves the disagreeing and the ignorant of Japan is in a confusing and unsatisfying world of thought.

At best, Smith's book makes a good spotlight illuminating areas of interest in the reader's mind. Such varied topics as the US occupation, burakumin outcasts, education, sexism, litterature, and the royal family are touched upon in this work. Those who are still curious about certain things brought up should be encouraged to other works. For US-Japan foreign policy, I recommend the works of Chalmers Johnson, despite his obvious polemical tendencies. For insight on the US occupation, a topic covered in the opening chapters, "Embracing Defeat" by John Dower cannot be topped for detail and lucidity. For environmental concerns and bureaucratic problems, Alex Kerr's "Dogs and Demons", though venomous, is a far more detailed account of such topics mentioned in Smith's work. The list of recommendations could go on, but in the end I come away from Smith's work mildly pleased. I was expecting a polemic that over-assumed and was a joke in a research respect. What I got was a decent work that works best as a primer for the already initiated to Japan. A mixed result from a mixed book.

Rating:
Summary: Misleading Hyperbole
Review: Patrick Smith knows a lot about Japan, having lived there for several years and being a journalist specializing in the country. He knows more than I do, to say the least. It is therefore surprising that he should produce a report so reactionary and misleading, and attempt to support so many disparate theses with such poor or virtually non-existent arguments.

My critical antennae came out early in the book when he began commenting on something that I, along with at least 30,000 other native English speakers in the world, do happen to have some expertise on: Japanese education and, more specifically, schools. Ifve been teaching in Japanese Junior High schools and Elementary schools for 2 1/2 years, and Ifve taught (albeit poorly) in my home country of the U.S. as well. So I immediately took issue when he profiled and compared a public Elementary school and a Junior High school, characterizing the former by its exuberant and happy children, and the latter by its silent and downtrodden students, and than further compared this public Junior high to a specialty private one that supposedly encouraged student individuality in which the students were still exuberant and excited to learn, as they were in their elementary school days.

Ifve spent most of my time these past two years in Junior highs schools . While I can say that Smithfs report is based on a widely recognized assessment of the tolls that eexam hellf has exacted on Junior High school students, in comparison with the relatively fun (if not entirely care-free) days of younger school children, his profile of the three schools is an irresponsible caricature of the feelings of students and of Japanese education in general.

As the text proceeds, Smith makes many other points about the state of Japan that are supported mainly by anecdotal evidence and tenuous links to the ancient past (the old stand-by gSamurai traditionh should never be trusted as an explanation alone, without a lot of carefully constructed supporting evidence).

The bottom line is, I don't trust a lot of what he says, though I only have solid contrary evidence for what he says about education. For me, that was enough to abandon the book.

Rating:
Summary: Misleading Hyperbole
Review: Patrick Smith knows a lot about Japan, having lived there for several years and being a journalist specializing in the country. He knows more than I do, to say the least. It is therefore surprising that he should produce a report so reactionary and misleading, and attempt to support so many disparate theses with such poor or virtually non-existent arguments.

My critical antennae came out early in the book when he began commenting on something that I, along with at least 30,000 other native English speakers in the world, do happen to have some expertise on: Japanese education and, more specifically, schools. Ifve been teaching in Japanese Junior High schools and Elementary schools for 2 1/2 years, and Ifve taught (albeit poorly) in my home country of the U.S. as well. So I immediately took issue when he profiled and compared a public Elementary school and a Junior High school, characterizing the former by its exuberant and happy children, and the latter by its silent and downtrodden students, and than further compared this public Junior high to a specialty private one that supposedly encouraged student individuality in which the students were still exuberant and excited to learn, as they were in their elementary school days.

Ifve spent most of my time these past two years in Junior highs schools . While I can say that Smithfs report is based on a widely recognized assessment of the tolls that eexam hellf has exacted on Junior High school students, in comparison with the relatively fun (if not entirely care-free) days of younger school children, his profile of the three schools is an irresponsible caricature of the feelings of students and of Japanese education in general.

As the text proceeds, Smith makes many other points about the state of Japan that are supported mainly by anecdotal evidence and tenuous links to the ancient past (the old stand-by gSamurai traditionh should never be trusted as an explanation alone, without a lot of carefully constructed supporting evidence).

The bottom line is, I don't trust a lot of what he says, though I only have solid contrary evidence for what he says about education. For me, that was enough to abandon the book.

Rating:
Summary: Best book on Japan I ever read
Review: The first two chapters of this book are excellent and a must read. Unfortunately the rest of the book doesn't live up to the early promise.

The first chapter makes a damning allegation that America is largely to blame for the current poor shape of Japan's political system. Mid-way throught the post-war occupation America sacrificed early efforts at political and economic liberalization and the democratization of Japanese society in order to turn the country into a bulwark against spreading Communism. Japan's Old Guard, politicians and industrialists from the pre-war era (including many war criminals), was resurrected in order to get Japan back on its feet economically and to assure that Japan stayed firmly in the capitalist camp. As in Vietnam, America "subverted democracy to save it." I found Smith's arguments here wholly novel and largely convincing. I was particularly shocked to learn of America's covert attempts to manipulate Japanese politics by providing monetary assistance to the LDP. Still, I felt Smith was unduly uncharitable to the Americans. The so-called "reverse course" is to be regretted but we must also acknowledge that the consequences of Japan having fallen into to communist control. It's hard to argue that the East Germans, North Koreans or Vietnamese had it better.

I also found the second chapter, "Hidden History' to be excellent review of Japan's transition from feudal society to modern state.

Unfortunately, I found the rest of the book comparatively stale and unconvincing. Smith spends considerable effort trying to explain the Japanese psyche. To do this he relies overly on references to a handful of Japanese literary works and artwork. He also has a habit of making sweeping generalizations based on his impressions from the interview of a single person. Also, Smith's command of economics seems to be tenuous, as when he apparently confuses "national debt" and "budget deficit" on p. 176. Too many of the author's assertions rely on personal impressions and opinions-- his own and those of interview subjects. There's very little supporting hard data.

The book succeeds as a strong rebuttal to the rosy view of Japan put forward by the Chrysanthemum Club (e.g., Reischauer) -- an earlier generation of Western Japan watchers who tended to be apologists for Japan. And, I agree with Smith that its time for Japan to steer its own course, independent from America in defense and foreign policy. But I'm not as sanguine as he is about the emergence of a new Japan ready to refashion a brighter future for themselves.

Rating:
Summary: What is individuality anyway ??
Review: This book (Japan: A Reinterpretation) is another in what is apparently a long line of Japan bashing books. The book seems conceptually mistaken in an absolutely total way. You get the impression that a viscious attack on Japan was just seen as an angle with which to sell books. It seems obvious that if you are going to attack a country you have to compare it to another country so the results have some meaning or context.
The author's main conclusion (seemingly ethnocentric if not purely racist) seems to be that all Japanese problems stem from a lack of individuality. I suppose it is true that the Japanese are less individualistic than Americans. They do all act the same. When I recently got off a plane in Tokyo they all seemed to want to help me find my way to the train, subway and then my Hotel. In fact one man, who I will never forget, even decided to accompany me all the way just to make sure I arrived with a minimum of trouble. This happened several times throughout Japan over a 3 week period. If I pulled a map out in a subway station people would gather round in a sort of competition to help me. Very well dressed and sexy Japanese women would routinely dip into dark alleys to complete a cell phone call if the street noise was too loud or distracting. The Japanese are all the same. They are all nice people. Contrast this to the insane individuality in the US which produces hip hop culture, 4000 religions, and 2 million criminals in jail at a time. In Japan there are virtually no police, no guns, no jails and no criminals.
Yes, it is true that the Japanese were all very viscious in WW2 and that the group think zen/buddist/samauri mentality may make them somewhat susceptible to an evil group think mentality again. But, if you look at the huge declines in the US despite our vaunted freedoms and individuality you have to conclude we are as vulnerable to it as they. In the mean time you can walk around Japan with a warm feeling knowing the people are your friends; in the US you can walk around not knowing what brand of individual is next to you. In Japan people won't stare at you because they respect your privacy, in the US people won't stare because they don't want to attract a criminal or unwanted advance. On the train into Tokyo you'll get help, on the train into NYC you'll get a question like I once got , "is it true you can get killed in there?" To the author of: Japan: A Reinterpretation, this complexity is not recognized. Individuality is good and Japanese conformity is bad. Accordingly the book has very little meaning.

Rating:
Summary: An insightful yet inaccurate book that misses the point
Review: This book is deceptive to those unfamiliar with Japan or Japanese culture. While it contains a number of interesting anecdotes and some interesting historical information, the conclusions he draws are rather questionable. He spends the meat of the book wandering from topic to topic, basically "bashing" Japan. While certainly Japan has a number of serious flaws, as do all countries I've visited, he seems to be judging Japan from a very Western yardstick. The author lived in Japan for more than 15 years, but apparently never even learned Japanese. It was clear in the reading through his examples of the meaning of Japanese words that he doesn't even have a basic grasp of Japanese grammar. This says a lot.
I think this book is an interesting read if you live in Japan, or are familiar with Japanese culture and history already, but for those without such experience, it's more like anti-Japan propaganda.
In the end, the author is guilty of the same crime he accuses previous scholars of, generalizing and stereotyping Japan the way he wants to see it.

Rating:
Summary: Review of the Reinterpretation
Review: This book raised issues that I didn't know existed before, in a clear and yet appreciative-of-complexity-inherent-in-the-system manner. Basic contention: the Japanese people need lots and lots of help on an individual freedom and expression basis, as well as reconciling their subverted individual freedom to their collective society.

One of the most interesting aspects of this book was the willingness of the author to place a large amount of the blame for Japan's non-democratic democracy and stalled culture upon the head of the American Occupation Forces under General MacArthur, and their reconstruction of the Japanese government. According to Smith, they set out with the most noble of intentions and the best methods. In a reversal that is still not clear to me, many of the nationalists who lead Japan to their war of aggression in the Pacific were re-instituted into power. The "reverse course" placed many of the reforms to the democratic institutions and the educational system on hold, or reversed them.

One of the most telling details was the version of history I was taught in school: that Emperor Hirohito was a pawn in the hands of ultra-nationalists such as General Tojo, and that he was not responsible for the carnage that followed Japan's invasion of China in 1930. Smith cites evidence (lightly: this is a popular book, not a scholarly text) that Hirohito was fully in command of his faculties and his country, going so far as to have an Imperial High Command post built within the Fukiage Palace.

One of the things it made me consider about my interest in Japan is the very "Japaneseness" of their traditions, many of which I admire. And most of which were copied in some form or another from others, especially the Chinese. This borrowing tradition is at the heart of the Japanese identity crisis: what does it mean to be Japanese? In chapters titled "The Unfinished Dream", "The Other Within" and "A Fugitive Virtue", these questions are addressed and pondered.

All in all, an excellent book that poses interesting questions, and waits and watches Japan with us to find the answers.

Rating:
Summary: Closer to the truth
Review: When I was young I had a passing interest in Japan - they had after all performed an array of miracles in their brief post-feudal history. I learned more of the same at University. And eventually I found myself living in Japan with a Japanese family. And the firm belief that everything I'd ever learned at home or in University was a complete lie.

I've read a lot on the subject - and spoken to many people from Japan and overseas about the "truth" of Japan's history and future. Save yourself a lot of the hard work that I went through and just read Smith's well researched work. It tells all that the US did to bolster their own short term position in Asia - at the expense of the common person in Japan and the long term future of the country. The massive (insurmountable?) problems which Japan now faces are very well explained in this book.

I only wish more Japanese people could read it. Then perhaps we'd see some meaningful change in this stagnant cesspool of a democracy.

Rating:
Summary: good snapshot
Review: WHile Japan was viewed as The Economy to Emulate, a number of very bad books came out that exagerated and distorted what its corporations and government accomplished. In retrospect, these fawning books, such as Ezra Vogel's J as #1, appear ridiculous. Then, as fears of J's superiority mounted, there was a rash of "revisionist" books, which argued that Japan was competing unfairly rather than better.

Now that Japan has faded from the scene somewhat, more balanced perspectives are coming out. Smith's book is one of the better such ones. Not only does offer it praise of certain companies and their innovations, but it does not flinch when criticizing the grotesque underdevelopment of the political system as well as the stunted individuality - the neurotic underside - of the Japanese character. Smith demonstrates convincing that there is terrible sickness within, that the country suffers from a "culture of irresponsibility" and that the younger generation may be the one to make reforms - after the older one dies off.

It is deeply pessimistic, but for anyone who has lived in Japan, a welcome breath of fresh air: critical but not a polemic, empathic without scorn. Recommended.