First published 2019
Prestowitz constructs a speculative vision of Japan three decades in the future, when the nation has reclaimed its position as a dominant world power. Writing from the perspective of 2050, he looks back at the mid-2010s as Japan's nadir, a period so dire that it prompted the creation of a special reform commission. This fictional commission becomes the catalyst for Japan's dramatic transformation across multiple sectors. Prestowitz examines how educational reforms, technological innovation, expanded roles for women, restructured corporations, new energy systems, upgraded infrastructure, reformed domestic governance, and strengthened international partnerships combine to restore Japan's former glory. The author builds his future scenario against the backdrop of Japan's real economic trajectory, from its rise as an economic powerhouse that once threatened American dominance, through the bubble economy of the 1980s, to the prolonged stagnation following the bubble's collapse in the 1990s. His blueprint addresses contemporary challenges while drawing lessons from both Japan's historical successes and failures, creating a detailed roadmap for national renewal.
Genres: fiction, historical-fiction, business, economics, 21st-century, alternate-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: future-vision, speculative-fiction
Setting: Japan
Period: 2010s, 2050
288 pages · Hardcover · Tuttle Publishing