Art and Engagement in Early Postwar Japan.

Document Type

Book Review

Publication Date

2-25-2021

Publication Title

Journal of Asian Studies

Volume

80

Issue

1

First page number:

196

Last page number:

199

Abstract

The government’s system of taxation and regulation had the effect of driving many small producers out of business while helping large producers by creating barriers to entry into the market. In other industries, Matsukata’s policies triggered a series of bankruptcies especially among smaller firms. On this point, it would have been interesting if Ericson had further explored the debate between Maeda Masana, the author of a major government 1880s development report, and Matsukata on the relative importance in Japan’s development of traditional industries and small business versus imported capitalintensive industries. Did Matsukata’s policies really create conditions favorable to the zaibatsu conglomerates and other large firms at the expense of small business as some scholars have argued? Given the importance of military-related industries in Meiji development goals, some preferential treatment for large-scale firms was probably inevitable, but one does wonder whether the role of Matsukata’s policies in the rise of the zaibatsu in the prewar Japanese economy has been exaggerated. For historians of modern Japan, this book is essential reading and will serve as the definitive work on the Matsukata Deflation for many years to come. Clearly written, persuasively argued, and containing deep insights into the world of nineteenth-century economic policy, anyone interested in historical examples of market reforms will find it rewarding.

Keywords

Justin jesty; Japanese art and culture; Japenese studies; Mid-twentieth century; Book part breakdown

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Asian Art and Architecture | East Asian Languages and Societies | History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology | Japanese Studies

Language

English

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