The Rise of Modern Japan

Devastated by war, Japan in 1945 faced ruin as a major power. Yet within a quarter century it bounced back to become the second largest economy in the world after the United States. How? And why did the country’s economy then crash catastrophically in the 1990s, indefinitely stalling its seemingly unstoppable climb to world dominance? In 12 engaging, half-hour lectures, The Rise of Modern Japan answers these questions and more, profiling the changing fate of Japan and the shifting mood of its people.

Noted Japan expert Professor Mark J. Ravina of the University of Texas at Austin covers the politics, economics, and culture of the island nation since World War II - a conflict that saw the end of Japan’s dream of regional conquest, which Professor Ravina calls Empire 1.0. The country’s postwar leaders radically changed course, renouncing a strong military to pursue Empire 2.0 - Japan as an economic colossus.

In fascinating detail, The Rise of Modern Japan shows how the United States, by design and by accident, built Japan into an economic rival, especially for high-value products such as cars and consumer electronics. If Americans misjudged their protégé, then the Japanese eventually misjudged their own markets, precipitating a stock and real estate collapse starting in the 1990s. Then in 2001, a massive earthquake and tsunami struck northern Japan, leading to widespread destruction and the Fukushima nuclear power disaster.

Professor Ravina uses the plots of popular Japanese movies and novels to illustrate how people coped with their jolting experiences: first defeat in war, followed by institutional revolution, unprecedented prosperity, crushing economic reversal, and natural and nuclear disaster. Despite also facing social instability and demographic challenges, the Japanese remained as focused, hardworking, and resilient as ever.