Description: More than a decade ago, Japan embarked on the third kaikoku (open-door policy) with the ultimate goal of internationalization (kokusaika). The Japanese government reluctantly took up internationalization under the pressure of foreign governments, especially in the United States and Europe. However, Japan has made only modest progress at a superficial level. In The Globalization of Japan, Mayumi Itoh examines the various aspects of Japan's resistance to internationalization. She shows how the opening up of Japan involves not only the accessibility of Japanese markets to foreign goods, but also the liberalization of the Japanese psyche from the sakoku (secluded nation) mentality. Itoh unearths the roots of the sakoku mentality and reveals it as the fundamental impediment to Japan's internationalization, examining various Japanese sakoku policies. She also analyzes the three opendoor policies that Japan has undertaken in the past and demonstrates how the United States played a crucial role in each one. Concluding with a thorough assessment of prospects for Japan's internationalization in the twenty-first century, The Globalization of Japan offers new insights into this important and often misunderstood country.

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