An analysis of the performance of Japan's economic and political institutions from late 1970s to 2007. The authors explain how Japan's flawed response to new economic, political, and technological forces ushered in a lost decade and a half of economic development from 1990. Impressive economic performance in the 1980s masked an 'accident waiting to happen' - the collapse in equity and real estate prices in 1990–1. Japan's iron triangle of politicians, bureaucrats, and client industries, combined with a flawed financial liberalization process and policy errors by the Bank of Japan and the Ministry of Finance, brought Japan to an abyss of deflation, recession, and insolvency by the late 1990s. The turning point was the election of Koizumi as prime minister in 2001. The book explores Koizumi's economic reform, new developments in socioeconomic conditions, the politics and economy after Koizumi, and the economic and political challenges facing Japan in the new century.

'In little more than two decades Japan has traveled a bewildering trajectory from dynamic industrial marvel to financial basket case to reformed but aging post-industrial society. Cargill and Sakamoto integrate politics, taxes and budgetary expenditures, financial and monetary policy, and corporate governance into a remarkably comprehensive explication of this puzzling journey and evaluate prospects for Japan's future development. This will prove a valuable resource for researchers and students alike.'

Gregory W. Noble - Australian National University, Canberra

'Japan Since 1980 provides a comprehensive overview of a period that saw the country fall from ‘model economy’ to one in severe distress and carefully traces the underlying causes as well as the institutional transformation the crisis has engendered. The strength of the book lies in the fact that it combines economic with political analysis, thus providing the nonspecialist reader with an ideal introduction to the issues that have shaped recent developments in Japan and to the formidable challenges it continues to face. The analysis also clearly illustrates that although reform in Japan is often described as progressing at a snail's pace, cumulatively the economic, political, and social changes of the last two decades have led to a substantial transformation of the Japanese economic system.'

Ralph Paprzycki - Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo

'The Cargill and Sakamoto book is a masterful review of the recent economic and political history of Japan. The authors detail the persistent efforts of Japanese policy makers to liberate themselves from past traditions and economic policies that caused the economic downturn of the lost decade. They rightfully advise their readers that this effort is still ongoing, even as Japan faces even more daunting demographic challenges in the future.'

Hal Scott - Harvard Law School