The Japan Society Review

Edited by Ruth Taplin Assessing and managing risk is vitally important, and is increasingly studied in a range of areas including politics and international relations, finance and insurance, and innovation and the valuing of intangible assets such as patents and intellectual property. The degree to which innovation is encouraged or otherwise – a key factor for many businesses - depends in part on the attitude towards risk in the context in which it takes place. Taplin considers the different attitudes towards risk and innovation, and the different ways in which risk and innovation are handled, in Japan, Britain the USA. Providing a broad and detailed examination of the subject, she discusses topics including risk management standards, managing risk in marketing, the insurance industry, patents, and in venture capital, and of how risk management in organizations has evolved. Review by Sean Curtin

Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi A detailed guide to Kyoto's 'tsuboniwa', or courtyard gardens: compact, hidden urban oases not easily accessible to the casual visitor. Each garden is a unique auesthetic treasure tucked away inside business and residential structures originally built by Kyoto's merchant class. Following 'Landscapes for Small Spaces' and 'The Hidden Gardens of Kyoto', Mizuno has photographed and described 81 gardens within 52 buildings (including shops, inns, teahouses, restaurants and private homes) to offer an unprecedented display of the flawless taste of Kyoto aesthetics. Includes detailed plans and diagrams, as well as concise explanations of the plants and stones that form such an important part of the overall aesthetic.

By Chris Steele Perkins Emerging from the sideline images taken during his four-year study of Fuji-san, Chris Steele-Perkins has produced a photographic overview of everyday life from the instantly recognisable in western society to that only seen by someone truly immersed in the culture of Japan. Review by Clare Barclay

By Terry Bennett If you are interested in the field of Japanese photographs as a collector, researcher, dealer, curator or auction house then this book is, quite simply, indispensable. The author has written on and researched the subject for many years and has brought together in one volume the results of exciting new research and also data which has been gathered from long-forgotten and largely inaccessible nineteenth-century sources. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

By Terry Bennett Photography in Japan 1853-1912 is a fascinating visual record of Japanese culture during its metamorphosis from a feudal society to a modern, industrial nation at a time when the art of photography was still in its infancy. The 350 rare and antique photos in this book, most of them published here for the first time, chronicle the introduction of photography in Japan and early Japanese photography. Reviews by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

By David Bell David Bell explains that his study concentrates on how Hokusai employed "pictorial conventions in the organization of pictorial space" or in other words how he set about making pictures. Bell is concerned not with who Hokusai was or what he did but rather with "why his works appear the way they do." Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

By L.M. Cullen Offering a distinctive overview of the pressures responsible for the emergence of modern Japan, Louis Cullen rejects the traditional boundaries of Japanese historiography and combines economic, social, and political approaches to create a powerful analysis. Cullen reviews the Japanese experience of expansion, social transition, industrial growth, economic crisis and war, to present an island nation that is a growing industrial power with little perception of its worldwide context. Review by Ben-Ami Shillony

By Herbert Plutschow This new study challenges the conventional view that the key figures involved in the opening of Japan were the US Navy's Commodore Perry, and the diplomats Harris (US) and Alcock (UK). A close examination of new sources suggests otherwise and puts Von Siebold's agenda to 'save' Japan from being overtaken by the colonial and commercial ambitions of the West's great maritime nations in a new light. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

Edited by Ruth Taplin Innovation studies and partnering/collaborative alliances are rapidly growing areas of interest. Originally combining the two areas, this book examines the role of business partnering as a pathway to innovation for small and medium enterprises – SMEs. This text outlines global and regional trends, focusing in particular on the role of Poland and Eastern Europe as an emerging region for new innovative ideas, how innovation is promoted in the United States, and how it is facilitated in Japan. Review by J. Sean Curtin

By Sadako Ogata Sadako Ogata was United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) between 1991 and 2000. Her book should be read by all politicians and officials involved with issues of international peace. It is a searing account of a series of humanitarian disasters which sadly show that man's inhumanity to man has not altered despite the tragedies and slaughter of two World Wars. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi