■Modern Japan: Why did it repeatedly rise and fail?
Japan today, particularly in the 30 years since the collapse of the bubble economy, has lost its compass and seems like a ship adrift on the ocean. It has literally become the "lost 30 years." I fear that people are falling prey to information manipulation by those in power through commercial media and social media, and are living without direction. This is why I chose the title "Japan Adrift - From the Meiji Restoration to the Defeat of the United States to 100 Years After the War." Although this is a forecast for the next few decades, more than 100 years after the end of the war , it is necessary to at least look back at modern Japan to consider the future.
I am a member of the so-called baby boomer generation, born in 1945, just after Japan's defeat in World War II. From my childhood memories, I vaguely recall images of black markets in the ruins of the war site and disabled veterans begging on street corners playing the accordion. Our generation rose from the depths of poverty to rapid economic growth, Japan as No. 1, the collapse of the bubble economy, and the lost 30 years, all of which were major changes in life that Japanese people had never experienced before.
Japan's 150 years of modern history have been marked by a cycle of rock bottom, rise, and collapse, repeated both before and after the war. The Meiji Restoration, a coup d'état by low-ranking samurai from Satsuma and Choshu toppled the shogunate, began from the depths of fear, with the nation declaring, "We cannot allow ourselves to become prey to the great powers and become a colony ." Aiming to build a powerful military nation, Japan won the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars, which were crucial to its survival, and seized enormous profits from its participation in World War I, dramatically enhancing its international standing. Nearly half a century after the Meiji Restoration to become one of the world's five great powers. This success led to the development of a fanatical imperial state, boasting, in a 1941 moral education textbook, that it was "the only divine nation in the world." The subsequent collapse caused by the war with the United States came just 77 years after the Restoration.
Meanwhile, it took just under half a century after Japan's defeat to the United States for the country to reach its unprecedented peak of the bubble economy, a time when Japan was euphoric about having surpassed the United States . This was hailed both at home and abroad as a "Japanese miracle," and people, especially corporate warriors, became intoxicated with the experience of success, even to the point of looking down on the former great powers of America and Europe. However, America's subsequent retaliation against Japan was extremely severe. In the end, Japan was defeated in the economic war against the United States, and the "Lost 30 Years " followed, with Japan's international standing steadily declining, until 2022 marked the 77th anniversary of the end of the war.
The author has named the 77 years before and after the war the first and second periods of modern Japan, respectively, and the present the third period.
To repeat, in the first period, Japan rose to become a major power in Asia and one of the world's top five powers in about half a century, and in the second period, too, the people of the corporate powers were flattered with "Japan as No. 1" about half a century after the war's defeat, and once again became intoxicated with the experience of success. However, after becoming intoxicated, they lost their way and have since followed the path of decline and collapse.
However, the Japanese people of this second period were liberated, albeit in a roundabout way, from the harsh oppression and human rights violations of the Meiji regime, a modern imperial state. Having gone from subjects to citizens, they enjoyed the liberation , freedom , democracy, and peace bestowed upon them under the American occupation as if they were "gifts from heaven." Since the 1970s, they have lived clean, convenient , and comfortable lives, and have taken mass consumption and overseas travel for granted. This unprecedented good fortune must be emphasized, because most of human history has been a struggle for nameless people against hunger, disease, and disaster.
Although I have digressed somewhat, the purpose of this book is to delve into the causes and background of why the pattern of "rock bottom, rise (success), and collapse" that characterizes modern Japanese history was repeated twice in roughly the same time cycle of about 50 years, and to consider the shape of the third period of modernity.
For the author's concerns and opinions, please refer to his personal blog, Press Activity 1995~ Yasuo Kaji, which he has been running since 2020. A total of nearly 600 essays contain an outline of the opinions expressed in this book.
Parts of the author's blog post are also introduced and quoted in the recently published book "Information Defeat: Rethinking Modern Japanese History (Chikuma Sensho)" by Shigeo Nakao.
Among the reviews were the following:
"This is an enjoyable book that cites various examples and critiques, interspersed with comments from such figures as Henmi Tsune, Kaji Yasuo, Seki Koya, Matsumoto Seicho, Karel van Wolferen, Edward Said, Hannah Arendt, Targert Murphy, and Chalmers Johnson, to show that Japanese people, who lost their lives by believing only in the "Imperial Headquarters Announcements," are still in a similar state of lack of information. The book criticizes politicians and bureaucrats who are unable to view the current state of "Nichibei" objectively, but the attitude of the media, which does not disclose information fairly, is also problematic."
The names of unknown authors are listed alongside famous writers and great thinkers. Although this is unexpected, I hope that not only the authors of the above works but also the reviewers recognize some value in the arguments of the authors.
■ Pride in "I'm Japanese!" and the new Takaichi administration
As can be seen from the rise of China, India, and the Global South, the global trend is shifting from hegemonism to multipolarity. This suggests that individuals living in the 21st century are living diverse lives based on diverse values. However, the reality of our highly information-driven society is that it is dominated by clever propaganda from those in power, and people are easily manipulated by information.
The spread of values is done artificially. Let me give you an example. Patriotism is something created by the ruling class and those in power of the "nation-state." They want to protect their existing ruling system and interests, so by instilling patriotism in every corner of society, even the lowest classes, they are able to unite the people and wage anti-foreign movements and foreign wars. In fact, during World War II, the Japanese were the ultimate victims of patriotism, including being massacred by the atomic bomb and dying in suicide attacks. This is exactly what Marx observed: "The ruling class disguises its own interests as if they were the interests of all people."
Before the war, thorough brainwashing was carried out through the military, educational institutions, youth groups, veterans' associations, and other support organizations, neighborhood associations, and the media, to prevent people from questioning what a country "for the sake of the country" really is. Even after the war, propaganda has become even more sophisticated over the past quarter century, and a sense of restorationist patriotism has steadily infiltrated the public without them even realizing it. One wrong step could lead . This was spearheaded by the entrenched conservative base , including the Nippon Kaigi , a supporter of the Liberal Democratic Party that has taken root in every corner of both urban and rural areas . This led to the formation of an ultra-conservative government led by the far-right Takaichi Sanae in October 2025 .
In the late 1980s, at the height of Japan's bubble economy, which gave the illusion of becoming number one, Japanese people everywhere, from Europe to Southeast Asia, were proud of themselves. "They dress differently," and "They're so confident," locals unanimously said. Unparalleled high-tech, a strong yen, an overwhelming trade surplus and foreign currency reserves. The majority of those looked up to felt an infinite comfort in being Japanese. One Japanese minority who was critical of this trend sneered, "Everyone is walking around looking like they're saying, 'I'm Japanese!'"
However, as the "lost decade" began to turn into the "lost two decades," the spiritedness of Japanese people walking around towns overseas began to fade and they became more timid. At the same time, within Japan, which had become increasingly inward-looking, violent anti-Chinese and anti-Korean hate speech and xenophobic movements broke out all over the country, and international sporting venues were filled with the Hinomaru flag, the Rising Sun flag, and placards and headbands proclaiming "Japan is amazing." This seemed to be a cry of resentment on the part of the Japanese, who had been toppled from their position as Asia's leading power by the remarkable rise of China, South Korea, and Southeast Asian countries.
Eighteen years have passed since the inauguration of the first Abe Shinzo administration in 2007, which yearned for the prewar Japanese Empire and adopted the slogans "Beautiful Japan" and "Restore a Strong Japan ." Sanae Takaichi, a far-right politician who became prime minister on October 21, 2025 , has been mocked as Abe's fraternal twin . The right-wing administration, led by Prime Minister Takaichi, has incited patriotism with promises to "push Japan to ever greater heights," "reach the top of the world once again," and "make it shine at the center of the world." The future of this administration is attracting attention. The domestic and international climate is clearly different from when the Abe administration first took office. It appears that the United States, the country's sovereign power, is skillfully exploiting—but ultimately seeking to eliminate—the troubling force of the Liberal Democratic Party's entrenched conservative base, haunted by the ghost of Imperial Japan .