A History of Japan

This authoritative and accessible book charts the history of Japan from c.8000 bc to the 1990s. Conrad Totman conceptualizes the country’s history in terms of four major ages: the age of foragers, dispersed agriculturalists, intensive agriculture, and industrialism. Within this framework, he traces the changing patterns of human-environment relations and examines their interplay with the more familiar realms of political, socio-economic, and cultural history.

The book treats the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries in considerable detail and gives fullest coverage to the twentieth century when this island nation became a major player on the stage of world history. In its survey of this recent history, it explores: diplomatic and domestic political affairs; economic development and change; class, gender, and ethnicity; ideology and political punditry; cultural production in the arts; letters, music, and popular entertainment; and environmental issues.

For the second edition, an epilogue has been added looking at Japan today and tomorrow, paying particular attention to environmental and diplomatic issues.