Dear colleagues,

I would like to announce my new book titled "The Japanese Economy", which was published from Agenda Publishing and Columbia University Press. Although it was published in 2020 and I could have made this announcement earlier, things have been hectic as I moved from the UK to Kyoto to take a professor position at Ritsumeikan University and I am making this announcement now.

The book has two parts: the first part is a chronological analysis of the main features of the Japanese economy and examines such issues as the impact of the war-time economy on the post-war economy, the high economic growth in the 1960s, economic stagnation after the collapse of the bubble economy and regulatory reforms in the 1990s and 2000s, and Abenomics. The second part examines the main characteristics of Japan's economic institutions and human resource factors such as the state-market relationship, keiretsu, the dual economy, human resource management and industrial relations, labor market reforms and dualism, and the increase in precarious work. This part also examines the international aspects of the Japanese economy such as the regional economic integration in East Asia and the Asia Pacific and labor migration. The unique feature of this book is an analysis of one of the most important current issues of the Japanese economy: lack of digitalization.

The info on this book can be found in the following websites of two publishers:

https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-japanese-economy/9781788210515
https://www.agendapub.com/books/59/the-japanese-economy

I teach the Japanese economy to undergraduate and master's students (both Japanese and international) at Ritsumeikan by using this book. As my disciplinary expertise is in politics (comparative and international political economy), this book provides a political analysis of Japan's economic policies and institutions. I hope some people may find it useful to use this book to teach Japanese economy and political economy.

Best wishes,
Hiro

Professor, Dr., Hiroaki Richard Watanabe
College and Graduate School of International Relations
Ritsumeikan University
https://research-db.ritsumei.ac.jp/rithp/k03/resid/S002363?lang=en