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Linda HASUNUMA, Empire of Hope: The Sentimental Politics of Japanese Decline, Social Science Japan Journal, Volume 24, Issue 2, Summer 2021, Pages 423–426, https://doi.org/10.1093/ssjj/jyab013
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Extract
David Leheny’s Empire of Hope: The Sentimental Politics of Japanese Decline takes place at a critical juncture in Japan’s postwar history, as Japan emerges from a period of prolonged economic recession, the collapse and renewal of its party system, and devastating losses of life and environmental destruction from the triple disasters of 2011, all of which exposed fractures and dysfunctions within its society and politics. As the country navigates a new geopolitical terrain and recalibrates its ‘transnational engagement’ for the 21st century, various actors and interests within the government have tried to create a new sense of national identity and unity. At the heart of this book are intimate portraits of survivors and their families, artists, activists, and people outside the traditional circles of power that move us to probe more deeply into how Japan manufactured and projected what it hoped to become in this new era. Drawing upon multiple disciplinary perspectives and in-depth case studies, Leheny provides a richly detailed and nuanced exploration of how emotions and sentimentality are manipulated by various actors across Japan’s government, media, and society as it reimagines its role and identity in this era.
