The education system that produced the image of the Japanese as a studious and hard-working people is beset with problems. As well as wreaking havoc on today’s children and university students, the uncertain state of the education system is symbolic of the wider malaise affecting a contemporary Japanese society that seems to have lost sight of its aims.

The Debate over Japan’s Academic Decline
University Reform and the New Basic Act on Education
Higher Education and the Japanese Disease

Japan faces a security environment that is undergoing major changes due to such factors as the emergence of China and the recent leadership change in North Korea. This raises the question of how Japan can cope with the growing diversity of risks. This series examines the tasks confronting Japan and explores its recent defense policies, with a focus on the Japan-US alliance.

Japan’s Defense Policy and the Future of the Japan-US Alliance
The Future of Sino-Japanese Competition at Sea
The Okinawa “Base Problem” Today
The Deepening of the Japan-US Alliance

Japan and the leading economies of the West are grappling with fiscal calamity stemming from their ballooning deficits. Do the political systems common to these nations have what it will take to overcome crisis and reduce the red ink? This series of articles examines the ongoing crises from the perspective of democracy.

The Fiscal Crisis in Advanced Democracies and Issues for Japan
How Democracy’s Ills Cause the Economy to Ail

The disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station has had an enormous impact on Japan’s overall energy policy, which had been oriented toward increasing dependence on nuclear energy. These articles examine the energy-related issues Japan faces in the wake of the disaster, and consider what future direction the nation’s energy policy should take.

Long-Term Electricity Demand and Energy Integration in Japan
The “Shale Gas Revolution” and Japan
The Need for Nuclear Power

The 1911 Xinhai Revolution in China brought the long reign of Qing dynasty to an end, giving birth to the Republic of China. But the road to establishing a modern state was a winding one and the country entered a period of social turmoil. These articles look at how the tumultuous changes in China were viewed from neighboring Japan, taking the 100-year anniversary of the revolution as an opportunity to look back on the trajectory of Japan-China relations.

The Impact of the Xinhai Revolution on Japanese Politics
The Xinhai Revolution and Japan-China Relations

In the modern era Japan showed itself capable of recovering from natural disaster and the destruction of war to achieve economic greatness. On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster presented the nation with fresh challenges to overcome. What has Japan done so far to bounce back from this blow, and what is the outlook for its full recovery?

A Land Awash in Despair
Crisis Management in the Aftermath of 3/11
Earthquakes and the Economy
“Emergent Destruction” and Japan’s Revival
The Sorry State of Japan’s Public Finances
Six-Month Timeline Since the Great East Japan Earthquake