The Economic Development of Japan
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Japan's Secretive Death Penalty Policy
Japan’s Secretive Death Penalty Policy: Contours, Origins, Justifications, and Meanings♦ David T. Johnson I. ABSTRACT...................................................................................................62 II. “REIKO IN WONDERLAND” .....................................................................63 A. SECRECY AND SILENCE ..............................................................................70 III. ORIGINS .......................................................................................................76 A. MEIJI BIRTH ...............................................................................................76 B. THE OCCUPATION’S “CENSORED DEMOCRACY” ........................................80 C. POSTWAR ACCELERATION..........................................................................87 IV. JUSTIFICATIONS ........................................................................................97 V. MEANINGS.................................................................................................109 A. SECRECY AND LEGITIMACY......................................................................109 B. SECRECY AND SALIENCE ..........................................................................111 C. SECRECY AND DEMOCRACY.....................................................................117 D. SECRECY AND LAW ..................................................................................119 VI. CONCLUSION.............................................................................................123 -
Tokyo: the Birth of an Imperial Capital
1 Ben-Ami Shillony Tokyo: The Birth of an Imperial Capital Ben-Ami Shillony Introduction By the middle of the nineteenth century Edo was the political, military and administrative capital of Japan, the largest city in the country, one of the largest cities in the world, and the seat of the shogun and his government. Nevertheless, until 1868 it had never been an imperial capital, the city in which the emperor resides. In the seventh century, when Japan adopted the Chinese model of a capital, the first imperial capital, Fujiwara, lasted for only 16 years, from 694 until 710. The second imperial capital, Nara, lasted for 74 years, from 710 until 784. The third capital, Nagaoka, lasted for only 10 years, from 784 until 794. But then the fourth capital, Heian-kyō (Kyoto), lasted for more than a thousand years, from 794 until 1868. During this long period, the emperors stayed in Kyoto, despite the fact that from the twelfth century political power shifted to the shoguns and the samurai class, and for almost half of that time the wielders of real power resided in the eastern part of Japan, in Kamakura and later in Edo. No one of the military rulers tried to move the emperor out of Kyoto to the place where they resided. Kyoto remained the "capital" (miyako) although its primacy was only nominal. The imperial palace stayed in Kyoto even when the city was torn by internal warfare and the palace was impoverished. Going to Kyoto was all the time called "going up" (noboru) and going from Kyoto was all the time called "going down" (sagaru). -
The Interpreter
Japan: grasping for hope in a new imperial era | The Interpreter https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/japan-grasping-hope-ne... Tets Kimura Japan has three New Year’s Days this year. 1 January, the calendar new year was the obvious beginning, then followed 1 April, the start of the financial and academic year that is famously symbolised by seasonal cherry blossoms – and now 1 May, the once-only celebration of the first day of what will be known as the Reiwa era of imperial reign. The transition from the current Heisei era to the next era of Reiwa will occur as the Reigning Emperor has decided to abdicate his position to the Crown Prince, even though this was not constitutionally permissible. No Emperor has stepped down from the position in Japan in the last 200 years, but it was the Emperor’s wish to do so as he found it difficult to be responsible in his role at his age. He is 85. Tuesday will be his last day as the Emperor, and under the “one generation, one title” rule, the era of Heisei will consequently end. According to the newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, 58% of Japanese think Japan will move to a better direction in the new era of Reiwa, whereas 17% see a negative future. The current era of Heisei started on 8 January 1989, a day after the Showa Emperor passed away. When the dramatic Showa era (1926-1989) ended, a time in which Japan experienced wars, the Allied Occupation, and the rapid post- Second World War recovery, Japan decided to name the following imperial reign period Heisei. -
Collecting Karamono Kodō 唐物古銅 in Meiji Japan: Archaistic Chinese Bronzes in the Chiossone Museum, Genoa, Italy
Transcultural Perspectives 4/2020 - 1 Gonatella Failla "ollecting karamono kod( 唐物古銅 in Mei3i Japan: Archaistic Chinese 4ronzes in the Chiossone Museum, Genoa, Ital* Introduction public in the special e>hibition 7ood for the The Museum of Oriental Art, enoa, holds the Ancestors, 7lo#ers for the ods: Transformations of !apanese and Chinese art collections #hich Edoardo Archaistic 4ronzes in China and !apan01 The e>hibits Chiossone % enoa 1833-T()*( 1898) -athered during #ere organised in 5ve main cate-ories: archaistic his t#enty-three-year sta* in !apan, from !anuary copies and imitations of archaic ritual 2ronzes; 1875 until his death in April 1898. A distinguished 4uddhist ritual altar sets in archaistic styleC )aramono professor of design and engraving techniques, )od( hanaike, i.e0 Chinese @o#er 2ronzes collected in Chiossone #as hired 2* the Meiji -overnment to !apan; Chinese 2ronzes for the scholar’s studioC install modern machinery and esta2lish industrial !apan’s reinvention of Chinese archaismB 2ronze and production procedures at the Imperial Printing iron for chanoyu %tea ceremony), for 2unjincha %tea of 4ureau, T()*(, to instruct the youn- -eneration of the literati,, and for @o#er arrangement in the formal designers and engravers, and to produce securit* rik)a style0 printed products such as 2anknotes, state 2ond 4esides documenting the a-es-old, multifaceted certificates, monopoly and posta-e stamps. He #as interest of China in its o#n antiquit* and its unceasing #ell-)no#n also as a portraitist of contemporaneous revivals, the Chiossone 2ronze collection attests to historic 5-ures, most nota2ly Philipp-7ranz von the !apanese tradition of -athering Chinese 2ronzes 9ie2old %1796-1866, and Emperor Meiji %1852-1912, r. -
Emperor Hirohito (1)” of the Ron Nessen Papers at the Gerald R
The original documents are located in Box 27, folder “State Visits - Emperor Hirohito (1)” of the Ron Nessen Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Copyright Notice The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Ron Nessen donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Digitized from Box 27 of The Ron Nessen Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN ~ . .,1. THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN A Profile On the Occasion of The Visit by The Emperor and Empress to the United States September 30th to October 13th, 1975 by Edwin 0. Reischauer The Emperor and Empress of japan on a quiet stroll in the gardens of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Few events in the long history of international relations carry the significance of the first visit to the United States of the Em peror and Empress of Japan. Only once before has the reigning Emperor of Japan ventured forth from his beautiful island realm to travel abroad. On that occasion, his visit to a number of Euro pean countries resulted in an immediate strengthening of the bonds linking Japan and Europe. -
Jichihan and the Restoration and Innovation of Buddhist Practice
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1999 26/1-2 Jichihan and the Restoration and Innovation of Buddhist Practice Marc Buijnsters The various developments in doctrinal thought and practice during the Insei and Kamakura periods remain one of the most intensively researched fields in the study of Japanese Buddhism. Two of these developments con cern the attempts to restore the observance of traditional Buddhist ethics, and the problem of how Pure La n d tenets could be inserted into the esoteric teaching. A pivotal role in both developments has been attributed to the late-Heian monk Jichihan, who was lauded by the renowned Kegon scholar- monk Gydnen as “the restorer of the traditional precepts ” and patriarch of Japanese Pure La n d Buddhism.,’ At first glance, available sources such as Jichihan’s biograpmes hardly seem to justify these praises. Several newly discovered texts and a more extensive use of various historical sources, however, should make it possible to provide us with a much more accurate and complete picture of Jichihan’s contribution to the restoration and innovation of Buddhist practice. Keywords: Jichihan — esoteric Pure Land thousfht — Buddhist reform — Buddhist precepts As was n o t unusual in the late Heian period, the retired Regent- Chancellor Fujiwara no Tadazane 藤 原 忠 実 (1078-1162) renounced the world at the age of sixty-three and received his first Buddnist ordi nation, thus entering religious life. At tms ceremony the priest Jichi han officiated as Teacher of the Precepts (kaishi 戒自帀;Kofukuji ryaku 興福寺略年代記,Hoen 6/10/2). Fujiwara no Yorinaga 藤原頼長 (1120-11^)0), Tadazane^ son who was to be remembered as “Ih e Wicked Minister of the Left” for his role in the Hogen Insurrection (115bハ occasionally mentions in his diary that he had the same Jichi han perform esoteric rituals in order to recover from a chronic ill ness, achieve longevity,and extinguish his sins (Taiki 台gd Koji 1/8/6, 2/2/22; Ten,y6 1/6/10). -
Integrated Report –Annual Review– Integrated Report 2017 –Annual Review– April 2016 – March 2017 Our Corporate Philosophy
Mizuho Financial Group Mizuho Financial Group | 2017 Integrated Report –Annual Review– Integrated Report 2017 –Annual Review– April 2016 – March 2017 Our Corporate Philosophy Mizuho, the leading Japanese financial services group with a global presence and a broad customer base, is committed to: Providing customers worldwide with the highest quality financial services with honesty and integrity; Anticipating new trends on the world stage; Expanding our knowledge in order to help customers shape their future; Growing together with our customers in a stable and sustainable manner; and Bringing together our group–wide expertise to contribute to the prosperity of economies and societies throughout the world. These fundamental commitments support our primary role in bringing fruitfulness for each customer and the economies and the societies in which we operate. Mizuho creates lasting value. It is what makes us invaluable. Corporate Philosophy: Mizuho’s The Mizuho Values fundamental approach to business Customer First: activities, based on the The most trusted partner lighting raison d’etre of Mizuho the future Innovative Spirit: Vision: Progressive and flexible thinking Mizuho’s vision for Mizuho’s Corporate Identity Mizuho’s the future, realized Team Spirit: through the practice of Diversity and collective strength “Corporate Philosophy” Speed: Acuity and promptness The Mizuho Values: The shared values and principles of Passion: Mizuho’s people, uniting all executives and Communication and challenge for employees together to pursue “Vision” the future 1 Mizuho Financial Group The most trusted financial services group with a global presence and a broad customer base, contributing to the prosperity of the world, Asia, and Japan 2017 Integrated Report 2 Editorial Policy Contents This Integrated Report includes financial information as well as non-financial information on such subjects as ESG. -
Institutions, Competition, and Capital Market Integration in Japan
NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES INSTITUTIONS, COMPETITION, AND CAPITAL MARKET INTEGRATION IN JAPAN Kris J. Mitchener Mari Ohnuki Working Paper 14090 http://www.nber.org/papers/w14090 NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH 1050 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138 June 2008 A version of this paper is forthcoming in the Journal of Economic History. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Ronald Choi, Jennifer Combs, Noriko Furuya, Keiko Suzuki, and Genna Tan for help in assembling the data. Mitchener would also like to thank the Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies at the Bank of Japan for its hospitality and generous research support while serving as a visiting scholar at the Institute in 2006, and the Dean Witter Foundation for additional financial support. We also thank conference participants at the BETA Workshop in Strasbourg, France and seminar participants at the Bank of Japan for comments and suggestions. The views presented in this paper are solely those of the authors, and do not necessarily represent those of the Bank of Japan, its staff, or the National Bureau of Economic Research. NBER working papers are circulated for discussion and comment purposes. They have not been peer- reviewed or been subject to the review by the NBER Board of Directors that accompanies official NBER publications. © 2008 by Kris J. Mitchener and Mari Ohnuki. All rights reserved. Short sections of text, not to exceed two paragraphs, may be quoted without explicit permission provided that full credit, including © notice, is given to the source. Institutions, Competition, and Capital Market Integration in Japan Kris J. Mitchener and Mari Ohnuki NBER Working Paper No. -
Hirohito the Showa Emperor in War and Peace. Ikuhiko Hata.Pdf
00 Prelims H:Master Testpages Enigma 6/6/07 15:00 Page i HIROHITO: THE SHO¯ WA EMPEROR IN WAR AND PEACE 00 Prelims H:Master Testpages Enigma 6/6/07 15:00 Page ii General MacArthur and Emperor Hirohito photographed in the US Embassy, Tokyo, shortly after the start of the Occupation in September 1945. (See page 187) 00 Prelims H:Master Testpages Enigma 6/6/07 15:00 Page iii Hirohito: The Sho¯wa Emperor in War and Peace Ikuhiko Hata NIHON UNIVERSITY Edited by Marius B. Jansen GLOBAL ORIENTAL 00 Prelims H:Master Testpages Enigma 6/6/07 15:00 Page iv HIROHITO: THE SHO¯ WA EMPEROR IN WAR AND PEACE by Ikuhiko Hata Edited by Marius B. Jansen First published in 2007 by GLOBAL ORIENTAL LTD P.O. Box 219 Folkestone Kent CT20 2WP UK www.globaloriental.co.uk © Ikuhiko Hata, 2007 ISBN 978-1-905246-35-9 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the Publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A CIP catalogue entry for this book is available from the British Library Set in Garamond 11 on 12.5 pt by Mark Heslington, Scarborough, North Yorkshire Printed and bound in England by Athenaeum Press, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear 00 Prelims H:Master Testpages Enigma 6/6/07 15:00 Page vi 00 Prelims H:Master Testpages Enigma 6/6/07 15:00 Page v Contents The Author and the Book vii Editor’s Preface -
Tourists in Paradise Writing the Pure Land in Medieval Japanese Fiction
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 33/2: 269–296 © 2006 Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture R. Keller Kimbrough Tourists in Paradise Writing the Pure Land in Medieval Japanese Fiction Late-medieval Japanese fiction contains numerous accounts of lay and monastic travelers to the Pure Land and other extra-human realms. In many cases, the “tourists” are granted guided tours, after which they are returned to the mun- dane world in order to tell of their unusual experiences. This article explores several of these stories from around the sixteenth century, including, most prominently, Fuji no hitoana sōshi, Tengu no dairi, and a section of Seiganji engi. I discuss the plots and conventions of these and other narratives, most of which appear to be based upon earlier oral tales employed in preaching and fund-raising, in order to illuminate their implications for our understanding of Pure Land-oriented Buddhism in late-medieval Japan. I also seek to demon- strate the diversity and subjectivity of Pure Land religious experience, and the sometimes startling gap between orthodox doctrinal and popular vernacular representations of Pure Land practices and beliefs. keywords: otogizōshi – jisha engi – shaji engi – Fuji no hitoana sōshi – Bishamon no honji – Tengu no dairi – Seiganji engi – hell – travel R. Keller Kimbrough is an assistant professor of Japanese Literature at the University of Colorado at Boulder. 269 ccording to an anonymous work of fifteenth- or early sixteenth- century Japanese fiction by the name of Chōhōji yomigaeri no sōshi 長宝 寺よみがへりの草紙 [Back from the dead at Chōhōji Temple], the Japa- Anese Buddhist nun Keishin dropped dead on the sixth day of the sixth month of Eikyō 11 (1439), made her way to the court of King Enma, ruler of the under- world, and there received the King’s personal religious instruction and a trau- matic tour of hell. -
Pre-Modern Economic Growth Revisited: Japan and the West
Working Paper No. 16/05 Pre-Modern Economic Growth Revisited: Japan and The West Osamu Saito © Osamu Saito Department of Economic History London School of Economics June 2005 For more information about the participants and activities of GEHN, go to http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/economicHistory/GEHN/Default.htm Department of Economic History London School of Economics Houghton Street London, WC2A 2AE Tel: +44 (0) 20 7955 7860 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7955 7730 Pre-Modern Economic Growth Revisited: Japan And The West∗ Osamu Saito Abstract In early modern north-western Europe, real wages declined while GDP per capita was on the increase. In contrast, wage growth in Tokugawa Japan went hand in hand with output growth. Based on this finding, the paper revisits Thomas Smith’s thesis on ‘Pre-modern Economic Growth: Japan and the West’. It is suggested that the common denominator found in both European and Japanese cases was market-led, ‘Smithian growth’. However, unlike north-western Europe, there was no room for mercantile or agricultural capitalism playing a part. Also, Tokugawa growth was not associated with increased income inequality. All this accounted for the slower pace of growth and the absence of any gap between real wage growth and per-capita GDP growth in Japan's pre-modern economic regime. Introduction In 1973 Thomas Smith published a comparative account of ‘pre-modern growth’ in Japan and the West. According to Smith, both Japan and western Europe experienced an increase in industrial and commercial activity before the age of industrialisation and achieved a modest but secular rise in per capita output over the early modern period. -
To Our Shareholders and Customers Issues We Faceinfiscal2000
To Our Shareholders and Customers — The Dawn of a New Era — Review of Fiscal 1999 For the Japanese financial sector, fiscal 1999 During fiscal 1999, we strengthened our man- marked the start of a totally new era in the his- agement infrastructure and corporate structure tory of finance in Japan. by improving business performance, restructur- In August 1999, The Fuji Bank, Limited, ing operations, strengthening risk management The Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, Limited, and The and managing consolidated business activities Industrial Bank of Japan, Limited, reached full under a stronger group strategy. agreement to consolidate their operations into a comprehensive financial services group to be • Improving Business Performance called the Mizuho Financial Group. In the fol- We have identified the domestic corporate and lowing six months after the announcement, retail markets as our priority business areas. several other major Japanese financial institu- Our goals in these markets are to enhance our tions announced mergers and consolidations of products and services to meet the wide-ranging one form or another. needs of our customers, and to improve cus- At the same time, conditions in the financial tomer convenience by using information tech- sector changed dramatically as foreign-owned nology to diversify our service channels. financial institutions began in earnest to With respect to enhancing products and expand their presence in Japan, companies services, we focused on services provided to from other sectors started to move into the members of the Fuji First Club, a membership To Our Shareholders and Customers To financial business, and a number of Internet- reward program that offers special benefits to based strategic alliances were formed across dif- member customers, and on our product lineup ferent sectors and industries.