JPNB24 Japan in the 21st Century

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Andrea Boccardi, M.A., PhD (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Andrea Boccardi, M.A., PhD
Department of Japanese Studies – Asia Studies Centre – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of Japanese Studies – Asia Studies Centre – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Thu 14:00–15:40 B2.43, except Mon 21. 4. to Sun 27. 4.
Prerequisites
Important: from spring semester 2025, this course will be taught in English.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 70 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 69/70, only registered: 25/70, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/70
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
This course aims to provide a historical overview of Japan and Japanese society at the turn of the 21st century, focusing on the manifold perspectives, phenomena, and experiences that transformed Japan during the ‘Heisei’ period and the beginning of the Reiwa. In particular, this course will serve as an introduction to the prevailing ideas and views that shape what Japan is today, what pivotal issues are perceived and discussed in Japanese society, and what impact they can have on the domestic population as well as individuals interacting with it – such as you. In order to do so, this course will touch upon economic, social, political and cultural issues as a way to outline an introductory depiction of Japan in the 21st century within its own borders and in its interaction with the rest of the world.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
(1) identify key events of contemporary Japanese history, their impact and short/mid-term consequences;
(2) understand important concepts and discourses that shape our interpretation of Japan;
(3) interact with primary and secondary sources, intervening in current academic debates and ideas;
(4) connect the history of 20th-century Japan with its results in contemporary Japanese society.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction
  • BLOCK 1 - The Lost Decade
  • 2. The Japanese Economic Bubble Burst
  • 3. The Tokyo Subway Sarin Attack
  • BLOCK 2 – Politics of Memory
  • 4. The Emperor System, War Responsibilities and the Imperial Family’s Current Position
  • 5. Hibakusha – Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki
  • BLOCK 3 – Indigeneity and the Central Government
  • 6. Ainu and the Path to Indigeneity
  • 7. American Military Bases, or the Okinawan Experience
  • BLOCK 4 – The Triple Disaster
  • 8. 3.11 – The Tōhoku Triple Disaster
  • 9. Nuclear Debates, Wastewaters, International Implications
  • BLOCK 5 – Domestic Politics
  • 10. The Abe Assassinations and Its Consequences
  • FINAL LECTURE
  • 11. Summary and Q&A – Exam Explanation
Literature
    recommended literature
  • Baffelli, Erica, and Ian Reader. "Editors' introduction: Impact and ramifications: The aftermath of the Aum Affair in the Japanese religious context." Japanese Journal of Religious Studies (2012): 1-28.
  • Neary, Ian. The state and politics in Japan. John Wiley & Sons, 2019.
  • Watson, Mark K. Japan's Ainu minority in Tokyo: diasporic indigeneity and urban politics. Routledge, 2014.
  • McCormack, Gavan, and Satoko Oka Norimatsu. Resistant Islands: Okinawa Confronts Japan and the United States. Rowman & Littlefield, 2018.
  • McLaughlin, Levi. "The Abe Assassination and Japan’s Nexus of Religion and Politics." Current History 122.845 (2023): 209-216.
  • Breen, John. "Abdication, Succession and Japan’s Imperial Future: An Emperor’s Dilemma." Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus 17.9.3 (2019): 1-15.
  • Funabashi, Yoichi, and Barak Kushner, eds. Examining Japan's lost decades. London: Routledge, 2015.
  • Birmingham, Lucy, and David McNeill. Strong in the rain: surviving Japan's earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima nuclear disaster. Macmillan+ ORM, 2012.
  • Chen, Xidi, and Qi Xu. "Reflections on international dispute settlement mechanisms for the Fukushima contaminated water discharge." Ocean & Coastal Management 226 (2022): 106278.
  • Kingston, Jeff. Japan's Quiet Transformation: Social Change and Civil Society in 21st Century Japan. Routledge, 2004.
  • Geilhorn, Barbara, and Kristina Iwata-Weickgenannt. Fukushima and the Arts. Oxford: Routledge, 2016.
  • Murai, Noriko, Tina Burrett, and Jeff Kingston. Japan in the Heisei Era (1989-2019). Routledge, 2022.
  • McCormack, Gavan. Client state: Japan in the American embrace. Verso Books, 2020.
  • Adachi, Setsuko. "A Reading of the Assassination of Shinzo Abe." Reading Violence and Trauma in Asia and the World (2024).
  • Hidaka, Katsuyuki. Japanese media at the beginning of the 21st century: consuming the past. Routledge, 2016.
  • Murakami, Haruki. Underground. Trans. Alfred Birnbaum and Philip Gabriel. New York: Vintage, 2000.
Teaching methods
Frontal lectures, audio-visual material, and readings provided before classes.
Assessment methods
Attendance in class. Final written exam – Open book format, open-ended and multiple-choice questions. Students are expected to attend the lectures of this course.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
General note: Předmět je určen i pro studenty mimo mateřské obory.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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