Taggart Murphy is incredibly thorough and painstakingly detailed in his treatment of Japan and Japanese history, if a little long-winded in finally arriving at a prognosis and proposed treatment for Japan’s malaise.
His central thesis may be reduced, in a Procrustean manner, that:
-
Japan does not acknowledge or deal with its past,
-
It has an out of control bureaucracy that the polity is unable to check,
-
It has a subservient rather than equal relationship with America.
It is fascinating to get a more critical look at leaders which are generally held in high regard in the West like Abe Shinzo, and to slowly have layer of historical detail build up over time. This book is certainly a well worthwhile stop on the way to understanding Japan.