This fourth edition provides an in-depth, up-to-date, chronological analysis of Japan's current political system and the contributions of its leaders. It emphasizes why Japan and its politics matters in a global society.

• Ideal for college courses on Japanese or comparative politics as well as for those interested in Japanese war memory, constitutional revision, and Japan's relationship with the US, China, and North and South Korea
  
• Investigates the divided aspects existing below the veneer of consensus in Japanese politics
  
• Explores...