One of our greatest contemporary historians greets the millennium with an authoritative and engrossing survey of the twentieth century. Twentieth Century places a chronological narrative of events in the context of the long-term changes that colored them. Among these are worldwide increases in life expectancy; major strides in science and technology; the radical reconfiguration of the global economy; vanished empires, shrunken white hegemony, and reassessment of "western" civilization; and the ever-evolving role of women.
As the world economy continues to respond to increasing globalization, the problems that individual businesses have been forced to deal with have grown in number and complexity. Virtually every one of those problems shares a common element: In a truly global economy, businesses that are unable to operate effectively in a multinational environment will not achieve the economies of scale they need in order to remain competitive.
To what extent is Japan in decline? In recent years popular writings, media commentaries and analysts often take the view that the rise of Japan is long since over and that the world's second largest economy is not just treading water but that society and the economy are failing, with potential catastrophic outcomes. But is this really the case? Could it be that once again Japan is being misread and misinterpreted? Are there not both obvious and less obvious signs of renewal and recovery? And how might the new DPJ-led government reform Japan?
