Issue 35 (October 2011, Volume 6, Number 5)

In this issue we delve into the murky world of Japanese politics focusing on one of the pivotal contemporary figures in the nation’s ever changing political landscape, Ichiro Ozawa. He was instrumental in toppling the LDP from power in the 1993 and was the master strategist who brought the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) to power in 2009, dispatching the LDP for a second time. While we often think of Japanese politics as relatively stable, Ozawa’s career reminds how fluidic it can be and the complexities of the country’s political narrative.

In four reviews, we look at Ozawa’s astonishing career and driving philosophy. Firstly in a fascinating and well-researched biography by Takashi Oka who charts the influence Ozawa has exerted on the Japanese political scene since his election to the Diet in 1969. Ozawa has experienced periods at the top of political power as well as periods in the wilderness, yet he is the great political survivor - seemingly indestructible. The three other Ozawa reviews focus on his political philosophy and ideas, many of which still resonate today.

Moving away from political machinations, Susan Meehan examines a disturbing and grim movie about the underside of the Japanese police. Director Gen Takahashi’s Confessions of a Dog is a powerful, dark and highly critical examination of the nation’s police force based on Takahashi’s own encounters with the police. In many respects it’s a tragedy as it charts the downfall of a once honest cop.

On a brighter note Sir Hugh Cortazzi looks at Karin Breuer image-rich “Japanesque: The Japanese Print in the Era of Impressionism,” in which she explores the origins and development of Japanese prints, the aesthetics of ukiyo-e, the impact on European artists and Japanese style in American printmaking.

Next Michael Sullivan re-examines the award winning and much loved movie “Departures” (おくりびと) which is acclaimed for its captivating cinematic scenery, beautiful musical score and superb acting.

The issue is rounded off by Susan Meehan’s look at Hirotsugu Kawasaki monster-packed anime “Legend of the Millennium Dragon” (鬼神伝) and Hugh Cortazzi’s review of “Nuclear Dawn” by James P. Delgado.

• Policy Entrepreneurship and Elections in Japan: A Political Biography of Ozawa Ichiro
  
  
• Reform Plans for Japan (日本改造計画)
  
  
• Blueprint for a New Japan: The Rethinking of a Nation
  
  
• Strong Arm Restoration (剛腕維新)
  
  
• Confessions of a Dog (ポチの告白)
  
  
• Japanesque: The Japanese Print in the Era of Impressionism
  
  
• Departures (おくりびと)
  
  
• Legend of the Millennium Dragon (鬼神伝)
  
  
• Nuclear Dawn, The Atomic Bomb from the Manhattan Project to the Cold War

Contributors