Journalist and author Michael Zielenziger's new book looks somewhat interesting. If you are living in Japan or read about Japan often, the topics are not anything new: falling birth rate, rising suicide, hikkikomori, gender pressures (for both men and women in all areas of society), etc.
The SF Chron has a review of the book.
Japan may be witnessing a gender eclipse, which makes it a shame that "Shutting Out the Sun" is bent on making one simple point: The country is in deep, deep trouble. In this well-researched volume, Zielenziger has taken a giant subject and flattened it into a blanket argument.
REVIEW / 'Sun' shines a light on Japan's struggles [sfgate.com]
Zielenziger has a op-ed in the LA Times this weekend as well.
Japan needs to decouple its future from the United States, resolve the challenges of its history and move vigorously to create a new and more integrated relationship with its long-term economic partners in Asia, especially China.
The leaders of Japan's multinational businesses already well understand this, and they may yet help transform the practical vision of their new prime minister. If they do not succeed, however, Abe's ascension may ultimately trigger the kind of arms race and brinksmanship that would destabilize all of Asia. In that sense, he could be the wrong man at the wrong time.
Wow, I just might have to check this out. Are there any proposed solutions in the book, I wonder?
In nearly every field, especially politics, I always encounter discussions analyzing and criticizing events and reasons, but I rarely find those who actually suggest a solution. I'm a student, which is probably why I encounter these discussions, since every student seems to be an 'activist'.
Thanks Gen, I should look into this book.
cheers
From the SF Chronicle article:
Zielenziger [...] points out that "the term 'self-esteem' does not exist in Japanese."
I wonder what other gems are in store for us in the book.
(For self-esteem I would offer 自尊心 and 矜持 as Japanese equivalents)
Couple itself to China, huh? Somehow I'm skeptical...aligning yourself to a communist country, no matter how allegedly economically progressive, has not historically proven to be a particularly useful strategy.
There's a better review of the book in the SJ Mercury News:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/books/15821736.htm
and an interview with Michael on my blog: http://money.cnn.com/blogs/curiouscapitalist/index.html
PROPOSED SOLUTION!!!
Here is my personal solution to agoraphobia, and it seems to me it is the same illness as hikikomori ?
http://quixoticta.blogspot.com/
~Ali