In conclusion, one really cannot fault this book and it was a pleasure to read. While it is not a history of the Japanese economy per se, one can open the book at almost any page and learn something about Japan's history in the context of its economy. It is a well-written, lucid and attractive book, and should be recommended reading for all students of Japan's economy and business. Its broad historical sweep should make it appealing to business historians, too,
particularly those with an interest in economics.
David Flath is Professor of Economics at Ritsumeikan University, and Professor Emeritus of North Carolina State University, where he was employed from 1976 to 2007. He has previously been Adjunct Professor of Economics at the Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research (2009-13), and Visiting Professor of Economics at Kyoto University (2001-2), and at Osaka University (1995-6). Flath is the author of numerous academic articles on the Japanese economy.
His Japan-related research has been supported by an Abe Fellowship and by grants from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Social Science Research Council, and the Japan-US Friendship Commission. His early forays into Japan were supported by the North Carolina Japan Center and by the
Fulbright Program.
