How did Japan became modern? Japan was barely able to maintain its independence around middle of the 19th century, but only 50 years later, it gained the a position and reputation as one of the great powers of the world. After a bitter defeat in WW2, it rose to the top of the world economy after only a 30-year effort.
This “success story” impresses people who have been interested in Japan’s way of development, and sometimes those with an interest in Japanese culture. It is hard for both Japanese and others to answer the question “What’s Japan?” ,. We should take the opportunity to ruminate on the past, the present, and the future of “Japan”.