The technological transformation of Japan

by Tessa Morris-Suzuki

For the past four decades, Japan has been at the forefront of much of the latest technology, becoming an industrial superpower in the process. Yet Japan's status as a technological leader in many fields is the result of historical processes over centuries. From Japan's period of isolation, independent of the west, through to the industrialization of the Meiji Era to the hi-tech status the country has today, the story of Japan's technological development is a fascinating one. This landmark book is the first general English-language study of the history of technology in modern Japan. A survey of the major developments in Japanese technology and industrial policy the book also reinterprets the processes of technological change in Japanese society. Japan's rapid technological transformation is usually attributed to far-sighted government policies or to the innovative management techniques of large Japanese companies. This book gives an alternative explanation based an the concept of social