Japan, like the rest of the world, has undergone a large number of changes in recent times. The impact of the end of the Cold War has combined with a worldwide recession to create a fluid situation in which long-held assumptions about politics and policies no longer hold. A short history of modern Japan, this book has been brought up to date by Marius Jansen, a distinguished interpreter of Japanese history. Jansen gives an account and analysis of the events that have rocked Japan since 1990, taking the story through the election of Murayama as Prime Minister.