A web browser that threatens to conquer the world. The longest, loneliest railroad on Earth. A North Korean nuke hitting Tokyo, a hollow asteroid full of automated rice paddies, and a specialist in breaking up virtual marriages. And yes, giant robots. These thirteen stories from and about the Land of the Rising Sun run the gamut from fantasy to cyberpunk and will leave you knowing that the future is Japanese! Contributors: Pat Cadigan Toh EnJoe Project Itoh Hideyuki Kikuchi Ken Liu David Moles Issui Ogawa Felicity Savage Ekaterina Sedia Bruce Sterling Rachel Swirsky TOBI Hirotaka Catherynne M. Valente -- VIZ Media

REMINGINING JAPAN: Contributors to this volume include some of the world’s most brilliant thinkers from fields as diverse as business, politics, academia, science and technology, journalism and art and design. In the aftermath of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis of March 2011, Japan has become a bigger part of the world’s consciousness than it has been for years. But Japan also is grappling with other problems that, over the long run, pose a much greater challenge to its national well-being than the devastation in Tohoku.... How can the country compete with a rising China? Cope with a fast-aging society? Deal with its enormous debt? Rediscover its entrepreneurial verve? Regain its position as a leader in technology and innovation? In Reimagining Japan, McKinsey & Company, the world’s top management consulting firm, asked more than 80 global leaders and experts to consider these questions. In essays brimming with insight, affection and occasional humor, the authors offer their assessments of Japan’s past, present and --most important -- future. What sets Reimagining Japan apart is the breadth and diversity of its contributors. They range from Fortune 500 CEOs to acclaimed writers (including three Pulitzer Prize winners) to a star videogame creator, a soccer coach, a school principal and a manga artist. There has not been such a comprehensive book about Japan in the past generation - and perhaps ever. NOTABLE CONTRIBUTORS Bernard Arnault, Ian Buruma, Gerald Curtis, John Chambers, Steven Covey, John Dower, Bill Emmott, Victor Fung, Carlos Ghosn, Pico Iyer, Bob McDonald, Stephen Roach, Masahiro Sakane, Masayoshi Son, Howard Schultz, Klaus Schwab, Bobby Valentine, Steve Van Andel, Ezra Vogel, Robert Whiting, Tadashi Yanai and more than 50 others.

"This book does not argue for stronger security ties among the three countries based solely on a shared understanding of the threats posed by North Korea. Nor does it look toward containment of a rising China or resurgent Russia for its strategic rationale. Rather, the authors argue for broadening the foundation on which the three nations' ties rest. A better understanding of the complex weave of interests and values that binds the United States, South Korea, and Japan will stabilize the relationships and make them more resilient and adaptable to future developments."--BOOK JACKET.

The story of Japan's design ethos, by Muji's celebrated art director As Art Director for Muji since 2002, Japanese graphic designer Kenya Hara (born 1958) and his aesthetic of pared-back, beautifully functional objects has taken the world by (quiet) storm. With Kenya Hara: Designing Japan, the designer presents his vision of how his industry can contribute to the future of his country: a future founded on Hara's unique philosophy of beauty as well as crowd-sourced wisdom from around the world. The book spans history, from the beginnings of professional Japanese design in the 16th century to the impact of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. But Hara's real focus is on the future. A master collaborator, meticulous organizer and globally conscious innovator, Hara draws on more than three decades of work in design and exhibition curating, as well his professional interactions with creators from many fields. Designing Japanoffers a foundation course on the essence of Japanese aesthetics, while maintaining a practical approach to Japan's circumstances and future possibilities. Hara reveals the methods by which designers in Japan work with government and industry, and considers how design can propose solutions for this island nation as its population ages, other nations take over manufacturing and technology develops. Illustrations and examples recognize successful problem-solving through design, proving that design is a living, changing industry that remains relevant not in spite of, but as a partner to, advancing technology.

In the fast changing modern world where does Japan fit in, and how should it relate to the United States and China? Three foreign commentators make a provocative and persuasive argument that the time has come for Japan to help build a stronger Asian community, and to become an engage and conscientious global citizen.

Japan. March 11, 2011. 2:46 P.M. The biggest earthquake in Japan's history—and one of the world's five most powerful since 1900—devastated the Tohoku region, 320 kilometers (200 miles) northeast of Tokyo. It triggered a huge tsunami that left crippling damage in its wake. More than 13,000 people drowned, and thousands of buildings and homes were reduced to rubble. As people assessed the damage, they made the most frightening discovery of all: the Fukushima #1 nuclear power plant was seriously damaged and three of its six reactors were heading for meltdowns. Workers tried desperately—but unsuccessfully—to save them. Explosions and fires released radioactivity into the air. Within days the Japanese government declared a 20-kilometer (12-mile) evacuation zone. The future of the plant, the long-term health of those exposed to radiation, and the effects on the environment remained uncertain. Learn more about this massive catastrophe as Dr. Fred Bortz examines both the human tragedy and the scientific implications of the nuclear meltdown. Compare this disaster to similar nuclear events in the United States and in Ukraine, and move ahead with Dr. Bortz as he explores the global debate about the future of nuclear power and alternative sources of energy.

Within a few months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States government began to plan a policy for a defeated Japan. In order to avoid any future attacks on the United States, Japanese society had to be changed. Politicians, Japan specialists, historians, political scientists, and anthropologists debated the future of Japan. Topics ranged from the future role of the Emperor and politics, to Japanese economy, to re-education of the Japanese people. Eventually an overall policy for postwar Japan was formulated, which was to a high degree executed by General Douglas MacArthur during the Occupation of Japan. This study is based on research in the records of the government policy planners, both private papers and official records. It is the first book-length study of the American planning for the occupation of Japan, including the drafting of policy, not only in the State Department but also in the War Department, Office of Strategic Services, and the Office of War Information. The analysis focuses on the development of strategies for remodeling postwar Japan as well as on the meaning of Japan constructed by various planners and decision makers and the impact of their constructions on American Occupation policy.