This book attempts a coherent portrait of the heart of Japan's economic and political decision making. It presents the men occupying the core positions in Japan's ruling party, the central ministries, and in big business and its organizations. Elite career patterns, social origins, upbringing, university education, cognitive orientations and ways of life are reviewed, as are the interactions in the exclusive world of Japan's increasingly hereditary and bureaucratic class of power holders in conservative politics and big business.

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject Politics - Region: Far East, grade: 2, University of Vienna (Institut for Political Sciences), language: English, abstract: In the following pages I will try to examine the nature of Japanese elite ́s. It interests me how they are composed, how they work and persist but also why they do the same. For that I will try to look into elite theory from Gaetano Mosca, Vilfredo Pareto, G. Lowell Field and John Higley, C. Wright Mills and Harold D. Lasswell. My aim is to take bricks of their theories out and apply it to the Japanese national elite system. Therefore I will recognize the Iran Triangle of the Political, Corporate and Ministry elite as Harold Kerbo and John A. McKinstry use it (Kerbo/McKinstry 1995). First of all I will define the terms that will be used in this work and then look into the theories of scientists I talked about above. In the next chapter I go right to Japan to get a small insight of the elite-structure there. After examining the Corporate, Ministry and Political Elite separately I look do the factors that hold them t ogether more closely. The education system, social clubs and business organizations as also the very important family connections. With some questions Lasswell asked for his work, I bring in further thoughts as the theory and fact go together. So my questions are what is the elite in Japan? Of what elements does it consists and how does it persist? What’s wrong with this democratic system organization, if there is something wrong with it. Is it going to change in the next years or is it likely to persist for a very long time, over generations? Is there a better system for Japan? And what would that be? I can see that this is not going to be a very sorrow study since the work is taking place in the frame of a student seminar but I take it as an opportunity to get at least some insight in the works of those scientists. The part of applying those theories to Japan, a country I studied only for a short time and never have been to, can only be done with the consciousness of labeling it as a students try. Still I hope that some valid thoughts will come out of the following pages and I hopefully will have time to further this study in the future, as it really sounds interesting to me. It took me some time to find the right theme for this seminar work, as I wanted to write on Japanese society but didn’t want to cover the exact same things as Prof. Harold Kerbo did in his books „Modern Japanese Society“ (Kerbo/McKinstry 1997) [...]

Fifty years ago, a new alliance of Japanese elites sparked the miraculous transformation of their country from a land decimated by war to an economic superpower that would become the envy of the world. These elites represented the best and brightest of Japan and they were willing to make great sacrifices for the prosperity of their people. Now, this same elitist system may be the nation's downfall. The new elites who replaced the pre-World War II zaibatsu elite have formed their own brand of upper class rule based on corporate control and domination of the state. Intent on solidifying their power through arranged marriages and interlocking families, many Japanese believe the new elite has become corrupt and self-serving. The resulting inequality has spurred growing anger among the non-elite classes. At a time when stability defines the new world order, Japan faces its greatest threat—the threat from within. Bound to be controversial, Who Rules Japan? is a study that expertly connects the country's economic, cultural, historical, and political facets. Kerbo and McKinstry explain how this new type of upper class has gradually spurned the traditional ideals of democracy in favor of an elitist approach that exploits the masses and causes ominous unrest. As a result, Japan is now confronted with a critical turning point in its history. The elites must choose between consolidating their personal power by continuing to resist change or beginning to make necessary sacrifices for their nation at the expense of their own privilege and prestige. The course they take will determine Japan's fate and the shape of the world order into the next century. Unique in its approach, this book will be of interest to scholars, researchers, students, and the general reader—all those interested in understanding Japan's inner struggle.

In 1998 the Japanese government was rocked by a series of scandals that seemed to threaten the entire postwar order. This book focuses on what these scandals meant for the Japanese system -- and for the rest of the world. The largest scandal centered on Hiromasa Ezoe, the founder of the Recruit group of magazines, who spread millions of his unlisted shares among Japan's powerful elite to gain influence. Holstein shows how hopes for political and social change in Japan in the wake of the Recruit scandal were dramatically overblown. Drawing on exclusive interviews with participants, Holstein provides an incisive analysis of U.S.-Japanese relations.

Japan is on the verge of a sea change. After more than fifty years of national pacifism and isolation including the "lost decade" of the 1990s, Japan is quietly, stealthily awakening. As Japan prepares to become a major player in the strategic struggles of the 21st century, critical questions arise about its motivations. What are the driving forces that influence how Japan will act in the international system? Are there recurrent patterns that will help explain how Japan will respond to the emerging environment of world politics? American understanding of Japanese character and purpose has been tenuous at best. We have repeatedly underestimated Japan in the realm of foreign policy. Now as Japan shows signs of vitality and international engagement, it is more important than ever that we understand the forces that drive Japan. In Japan Rising, renowned expert Kenneth Pyle identities the common threads that bind the divergent strategies of modern Japan, providing essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how Japan arrived at this moment -- and what to expect in the future.