Why has Japan declined to such an extent today? As long as we continue to evade this question, Japan’s downward spiral will not cease. To confront this reality, we must first look at the youth of the world.
In France, high school students took to the streets to protest flaws in educational policy. In cities across the country—Paris, Lyon, Marseille—hundreds of thousands of students raised their voices; their anger spread in an instant, at times intensifying to the point of rioting. They understand that speaking out against the state is an inherent right of citizenship. Deep within them, there is a firm conviction that freedom is only preserved when it is exercised.
As I observe this, the words of a Japanese high school student weigh heavily upon me: "Wouldn't participating in a demonstration just create enemies?" This remark is not a reflection of an individual’s personality, but rather a manifestation of a mental structure that this nation has cultivated over the past 160 years. In Japan, political activity by those under the age of 18 is prohibited; the very idea of young people becoming political agents is institutionally blocked. This stems from the state’s deep-seated fear of the "High School All-Campus Joint Struggle Committee" (Zenkyoto) movement, which spread across the country in the late 1960s and 1970s. Fearing the politicization of high school students, the state standardized school regulations nationwide, and in the 1990s—a period marked by a rightward shift in society—it institutionalized a formal ban on "political activity." In this way, Japan has become a nation that views young people speaking out as dangerous, and has effectively abandoned the task of fostering individuals capable of protest.
The image of French high school students filling the streets, contrasted with the image of Japanese high school students hesitating and choosing silence—this disparity is not merely a matter of cultural difference. The "image of a submissive citizenry"—cultivated in Japan over the past 160 years—is now casting a dark shadow over the nation’s future.
A nation that remains silent cannot halt the excesses of those in power. In a nation that fails to protest, democracy becomes an empty shell, and its decline only accelerates. Japan is currently treading precisely this path.
The IMF has projected that by 2027, Japan’s nominal GDP will be surpassed by both India and the United Kingdom, causing it to fall to sixth place globally. Japan’s GDP per capita has already dropped below 30th in the world, placing it among the lowest-performing nations within the OECD. Once an economic powerhouse that dominated the global stage, Japan is now described by international organizations as "one of the poorest nations among the developed countries."
Yet, this decline did not begin suddenly; its roots lie 160 years in the past.
The Meiji Restoration did not result in the creation of a truly independent political system for Japan. Instead, the nation was integrated into the global strategy of the Anglo-American powers, leaving it to perpetually waver between subordination and autonomy. Every attempt to assert independence was met with a fierce counterstrike. The pursuit of military autonomy in 1941 led to a scorched-earth catastrophe, while the pursuit of economic autonomy in the 1980s was thwarted by the Plaza Accord and the subsequent collapse of the economic bubble—a "second defeat" at the hands of the United States. In the three decades that followed, Japan alone has been left behind by global growth; wages have continued to fall, the birth rate has plummeted, and the quality of life for its citizens has withered.
Following the collapse of the bubble economy, the United States reshaped Japan—without ever needing to deploy its military. At the heart of this process were the "Annual Reform Recommendations" (the "Annual Reform Requests") presented to the Japanese government by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). These were not mere suggestions, but a blueprint designed to overhaul Japan’s institutions, laws, and industrial structure to align with American specifications. Every year, a list of demands was presented to the Japanese government; the only way for Japan to maintain its relationship with the United States was to accept these demands in their entirety.
The liberalization of the labor market led to an explosive increase in non-regular employment; financial liberalization facilitated corporate takeovers by foreign capital; and deregulation opened the Japanese market wide to American firms. The privatization of the postal system paved the way for U.S. financial capital to access Japanese assets, while the opening of the healthcare and insurance sectors provided a massive market for American insurance companies. In this manner, the Japanese-style management system was dismantled piece by piece, and the social foundations that had sustained postwar Japan collapsed.
Consequently, corporations have hoarded profits as retained earnings, wages have remained stagnant for 30 years, consumption has shrunk, and the decline in the birthrate has accelerated. Corporations flourish while the people perish—this structure has become irreversible.
During this same period, the Unification Church issue emerged as a covert channel for political operations directed at Japan. Established by the CIA and the KCIA as an instrument for political influence, the Unification Church treated Japan as an "economic unit" for extracting financial contributions—funds collected in Japan were funneled through South Korea to the United States. The lineage of the Seiwa-kai faction—stretching from Nobusuke Kishi to Shinzo Abe—served as the core of postwar Japan’s subservience to the U.S., and the Unification Church scandal became a symbolic case illustrating just how deeply Japanese politics has been placed under American influence.
In the 2020s, having written off the shrinking domestic market, Japanese corporations are pouring a total of 80 trillion yen into investments in the United States. Wealth accumulated in Japan is being transferred to the U.S., cementing a structure in which corporations survive while the nation itself is left to wither. This is, in essence, 21st-century neocolonialism.
When viewed from this broader perspective, Japan’s decline is neither a matter of chance nor merely the result of failed policy. The "Annual Reform Proposals" (submitted by the U.S. to Japan), the dismantling of the "Japanese-style" system, the weakening of labor unions, the takeover of Japanese corporations by foreign capital, political maneuvering via the Unification Church, the transfer of wealth to the United States, the transformation of the Self-Defense Forces into an auxiliary force for the U.S. military, a relentless series of deregulatory measures, stagnant wages, a declining birthrate, and a precipitous drop in GDP ranking—all of these are the consequences of what can be termed a "second occupation"—a fundamental restructuring of Japan by the United States. Japan finds itself bound and shackled across every dimension: its institutions, economy, politics, and ideology.
Where, then, did this history of subjugation begin? Its origin lies in "another Meiji"—a perspective witnessed by a retainer of the Aizu Domain. The Meiji Restoration did not mark the birth of an independent, sovereign Japan; rather, it was the moment Japan was integrated into a global strategy devised by the U.S. and Britain to tighten their grip on Eurasia. This book, *Exploring 160 Years of Modern Japanese History Through the Eyes of an Aizu Retainer*, traces the long arc from that "other Meiji" to the present day, seeking to uncover—from the depths of history—why Japan has failed to achieve true independence and why it is now in decline.
Japan’s decline is a historical inevitability. Yet, the path toward its revival also lies within history itself. I invite the reader to join me in tracing the grand currents of these past 160 years.