Japan’s Quiet Transformation: Social Change and Civil Society in the Twenty-First Century

The 1990s have been termed as 'Japan's lost decade' to describe how the phenomenal growth in the Japanese economy ground to a halt and the country was crippled by enormous and ongoing political, economic and social problems. In responding to these unprecedented difficulties, wide-ranging reforms have been adopted including NPO, information disclosure and judicial reform legislation. Controversially, this book argues that such reforms are creating a more robust civil society and demonstrate that Japan is far more dynamic than is generally recognized.

Jeff Kingston is Professor of History and Director of Asian Studies at Temple University Japan, and has written over 200 book reviews for Japan Times.