Mayumi Itoh. Globalization of : Japanese Sakoku mentality and U. S. eforts to open Japan. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998. 224 pp. $45.00, cloth, ISBN 978-0-312-17708-9.

Reviewed by Sandra Katzman

Published on H-US-Japan (February, 1999)

Japan is ten years into its third kaikoku, or reader in the Japanese mentality through these open door policy, in modern history. phrases without requiring Japanese or Chinese This book is well-organized into two parts: scripts. Some of the most important words are "The Japanese Sakoku Mentality" and "Japan's Kokusaika: internationalization : out‐ Sakoku Policy: Case Studies." Although its subject sider, foreigner Kaikoku: open-door policy includes breaking news, such as the rice tarifs, Saikoku: secluded nation Gaiatsu: external pres‐ the book has a feeling of completion. The author, sure Mayumi Itoh, has successfully set the subject in Part I has fve chapters: Historical Back‐ history, looking backward and looking forward. ground, the Sakoku Mentality and Japanese Per‐ Itoh is Associate Professor of Political Science at ceptions of Kokusaika, Japanese Perceptions of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. the United States, Japanese Perceptions of Asia, Itoh argues that although globalization is a and Japanese Perceptions of ASEAN and Japan's national policy of Japan, mental habits preclude Economic Diplomacy. its success. She sets the globalization as the third Part II has fve chapters: Japan's Immigration in a series of outward expansions, each one pre‐ and Foreign Labor Policies, Okinawa and the cipitated by the United States. The style of writing Sakoku Mentality, Kome Kaikoku: Japan's Rice is scholarly and easy to understand. Market Liberalization, The Japanese Constitution Itoh uses and explains Japanese words for and the Military Kokusaikoken, and Japan and the seclusion, opening, and globalization. These terms United Nations: Peacekeeping Operations and Per‐ help the book with its Japanese perspective. The manent Security Council Seat. Japanese words are not always word-for-word In addition, the conclusion is titled Prospects translations, and Itoh places them in Roman letter for Japan's Kokusaika. italics throughout the book: in the subtitle, chap‐ ter titles, and body of the text. She involves the H-Net Reviews

Supporting material includes fgures and ta‐ "Previous Japanese law stipulated bles throughout the book. For example, extensive that only newborns whose fathers were Japanese use is made of public opinion polls about Japa‐ could acquire Japanese nationality...With pressure nese perceptions of China, ASEAN countries, from foreign male residents who married Japa‐ South Korean, and the United States. Some of the nese women and their lawyers, the Ministry of statistics are from the Prime Minister's ofce. Justice revised the law in 1989" (p. 109). Some are from Japanese daily newspapers, jour‐ "The government should respond to the pub‐ nals, and associations. There is a table of Gaijin lic calls for labor kaikoku (opening a country), an Baseball Players in Japan's Major Leagues. There integral part of Japan's kokusaika. Yet in reality, is a table of Japanese Politicians' Denial of Japan's labor sakoku exists not only in unskilled labor but Acts of Aggression in Asia. in professional work as well" (pp. 112-13). Parts of the book were previously published "Although each [baseball] team is free to ro‐ in various journals, including the Regents of the tate the gaijin players on their roster, only two of University of California's Asian Survey, and the the three registered gaijin players are eligible to Foreign Policy Research Council's Orbis. play at any given time" (p. 116). This book is a subtle and thorough scholarly "Okinawa is not suited for a manufacturing work. For example, Itoh debunks by public opin‐ industry for two reasons" (p. 130). ion polls widespread over-generalizations. She "Kome kaikoku (opening of the rice market) also examines why politicians deny history. became the second landmark of the third You will gain ideas about why the price of rice kaikoku" (p. 133). is so high in Japan, and why the Japanese haven't "...Japan cannot produce anything unless the changed the Peace Constitution of the Occupation supply of oil is secured. The food self-sufciency era after World War II. You will learn intricate policy misses the point" (p. 140). histories about each of these important aspects of modern Japan. "...[postwar pacifsm in Japan, one of the at‐ tributes of the sakoku mentality] has been a ma‐ Here are some selected quotes from the book jor obstacle to expanding Japan's role in the main‐ to pique your curiosity: tenance of international peace and security..." (p. "The deeper the Japanese inferiority complex 147) grew toward the West, the stronger the superiori‐ "A constitutional revision requires not only ty complex grew toward Asia" (p. 87). two-thirds of both houses of Japan's Parliament, "...the Japanese had revered China as the but also the majority of the people (Article 96)" Rome and Greece of the Orient because Chinese (p. 149). elites had defned their country as a civilization, "Considering the political and psychological rather than as a military power or economic sys‐ taboos imposed by Article 9 [the pacifst defnition tem, and had not conquered its tributary na‐ of Japan], the change in Japanese perceptions of tions...In contrast, Japanese ignored the rest of the constitutional revision is signifcant" (p. 150). Asian nations, because they did not fourish as a great civilization" (p. 93). "It is high time for Japan and Germany to be‐ come permanent SC [Security Council of the Unit‐ "In essence, ASEAN elites are still haunted by ed Nations] members and wield global leadership past experiences with Japan's army, and have yet commensurate with their economic and political to forgive Japan completely" (p. 104). standings" (p. 176).

2 H-Net Reviews

"Although Japan is only slowly and reluctant‐ ly moving toward internationalization, its Asian neighbors, notably South Korea and Taiwan, have undertaken globalization in earnest" (p. 177). "...the tide of Japan's kokusaika is irre‐ versible" (p. 182). "The United States should also cooperate with the press, both at home and abroad, and launch massive publicity campaigns for Japan's labor kaikoku in particular and overall kokusaika in general" (p. 183). "As of August 1997, it seems unlikely that Japan will become a major political rival of the United States in the foreseeable future" (p. 184). The selections only faintly suggest the depth with which Itoh tackles this subject of such imme‐ diacy. Copyright (c) 1999 by H-Net, all rights re‐ served. This work may be copied for non-proft educational use if proper credit is given to the au‐ thor and the list. For other permission, please con‐ tact [email protected].

If there is additional discussion of this review, you may access it through the network, at https://networks.h-net.org/h-us-japan

Citation: Sandra Katzman. Review of Itoh, Mayumi. Globalization of Japan : Japanese Sakoku mentality and U. S. eforts to open Japan. H-US-Japan, H-Net Reviews. February, 1999.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=2742

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

3