Table Of ContentMODERN JAPAN: A CONCISE SURVEY
Also by Sir Hugh Cortazzi
DR WILLIS IN JAPAN 1862-1877: British Medical Pioneer
ISLES OF GOLD: Antique Maps of Japan
THE JAPANESE ACHIEVEMENT
KIPLING'S JAPAN: Collected Writings (editor, with George Webb)
MARY CRAWFORD FRASER: A Diplomat's Wife in Japan
(editor)
MITFORD'S JAPAN: The Memoirs and Recollections, 1866--1906,
of Algernon Bertram Mitford, the First Lord of Redesdale (editor)
VICTORIANS IN JAPAN: In and Around the Treaty Ports
Translated
GENJI KElTA : The Lucky One and Other Humorous Stories
Modern Japan
A Concise Survey
Sir Hugh Cortazzi
Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN 978-0-333-54340-5 ISBN 978-1-349-22971-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-22971-0
©Sir Hugh Cortazzi 1993
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1993 978-0-333-54339-9
All rights reserved. For infonnation, write:
Scholarly and Reference Division,
St. Martin's Press, Inc., 175 Fifth Avenue,
New York, N.Y. 10010
First published in the United States of America in 1993
ISBN 978-0-312-10630-0
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cortazzi, Hugh.
Modern Japan : a concise survey I Hugh Cortazzi.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-312-10630-0
1. Japan. I. Title.
DS806.C78 1993
952.04---<lc20 93-27056
CIP
Contents
List of Tables and Figures vii
Preface viii
Sketch Map of Japan x
Map of Japanese Prefectures xi
1 The Setting 1
1.1 Geography 1
1.2 People 2
1.3 Language 3
1.4 History and Culture 5
2 The Political Framework 40
2.1 The Constitution 40
2.2 The Emperor 44
2.3 The Diet (parliament) 46
2.4 Political Parties 52
3 (;overnment 58
3.1 Central Government 58
3.2 Local Government 65
4 Law and Order 70
4.1 The Legal System 70
4.2 The Courts 74
4.3 The Legal Profession 75
4.4 Law Enforcement: The Police 77
5 Foreign Affairs and Defence 81
5.1 Foreign Affairs 81
5.2 Defence 87
6 Finance 91
6.1 The Ministry of Finance, the Economic Planning
Agency and the Budget 91
6.2 Taxation 93
v
vi Contents
6.3 Financial Markets 97
6.4 The Bank of Japan (BOJ - Nihon Ginko) 98
6.5 Other Governmental and Semi-Governmental
Banking Institutions 99
6.6 Commercial Banks 101
6.7 Securities Companies 107
6.8 Insurance Companies 109
7 Industry and Commerce 111
7.1 Government Agencies III
7.2 Public Utilities 116
7.3 Business Organizations 117
7.4 Industry 120
7.5 Commerce 123
8 Agriculture and Infrastructure 138
8.1 Agriculture 138
8.2 Construction and Housing 143
8.3 Transport 147
9 Employment, Health and Welfare 151
9.1 Employment 151
9.2 Health and Welfare 160
9.3 Pensions 167
9.4 Social Welfare Benefits 169
10 Education and Culture 171
10.1 Education 171
10.2 Culture 179
Appendices 188
1 The Constitution of Japan 188
2 The Treaty of Peace with Japan 199
3 The Imperial Family and the Imperial Household 211
4 List of Post-war Japanese Prime Ministers 214
5 Major Events in Japanese Post-war History 215
6 Selected Statistics 217
7 Parties in the Diet 220
8 LDP Members of the Diet by Faction 222
Suggestions for Further Reading 223
Index 227
List of Tables and Figures
Maps
Sketch map of Japan X
Map showing Japanese prefectures Xl
Table
4.1 Crime rates in the USA and Japan, 1989 80
Figures
7.1 The Fuyo Group 132
7.2 The DKB Group 133
A7.1 Voter turnout at elections, 1946-92 221
A7.2 Seats won in House of Representatives elections,
1960-90 221
vii
Preface
This short book is an attempt to give the basic facts about modern
Japan which an intelligent person visiting the country or going to live
there is likely to want to have at his fingertips or at least readily
available. It does not pretend to be comprehensive. Nor can it hope to
provide a substitute for the detailed study of particular aspects which
may interest readers with specific needs. For instance, anyone going to
Japan to live will need the advice of a good tax accountant when
dealing with his taxes. He or she is also likely to require the advice of a
specialist on questions of contract or of employment. But it is hoped
that this book will at least provide a starting point.
This is not another book trying to analyse Japanese ways and
attitudes. It is primarily a factual survey.
Statistics which have been included where necessary are as up to date
as possible. But although there is no lack of statistics these are not
always consistent, and fully up-to-date statistics are not irr.mediately
available. The statistics should, accordingly, be regarded as primarily
an indication of magnitudes and trends rather than as a source of
accurate and current figures.
In general the facts and information have been selected on the basis
that the author would have liked to have had such a brief survey
available to him when he was British Ambassador to Japan to provide
briefing for visiting ministers and officials, and to give to new members
of his staff to study before coming out to Japan or to use on arrival.
Chapter I provides general background, including basic information
about geography, the people, language, history and culture. Chapters 2
to 10 contain a survey of modern Japan and its institutions. Chapter 2
describes the political framework including the Constitution and the
Diet. Chapter 3 reviews the organization and functions of central and
local government. Chapter 4 gives an overview of the Japanese legal
system and of law enforcement. Chapter 5 looks at Japanese foreign
and defence policy. Chapters 6, 7 and 8 attempt to cover the Japanese
economy. Chapter 6 deals with finance, including banking and
securities, Chapter 7 with industry and trade, Chapter 8 with Japanese
agriculture, construction and transport. Chapter 9 reviews the position
of labour in the economy and the provisions for health and welfare.
viii
Preface ix
Chapter 10 looks at education, cultural and religious organizations,
and the media.
June 1993 SIR HUGH CORTAZZI
Note: Japanese names are reproduced in the Japanese order, that is,
surname first followed by given name. Long vowels have been marked
except for well-known place names such as Tokyo and Osaka.
Acknowledgement: The author and publishers are grateful to Dodwell
Marketing Consultants, Tokyo, for permission to reproduce the two
charts from their Industrial Groupings in Japan (lOth edn, 1992-3).
