Japan at the crossroads : conflict and compromise after Anpo / Nick Kapur.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 277-308) and index.

Introduction -- Reformulating the US-Japan alliance -- Stabilizing conservative rule -- The waning of the opposition parties -- The collapse of the 1960 coalition -- New directions in literature and the arts -- Reshaping the landscape of expression -- Conclusion.

Japan at the Crossroads explains how massive protests in Japan against the US-Japan alliance in 1960 produced enduring transformations in Japanese politics, society, and culture, as well as in US-Japan relations and the Cold War international system. The protests were the largest popular protests in Japan's modern history, lasting more than a year and reaching a violent climax in June 1960, when thousands of radical activists stormed the National Legislature, precipitating a battle with police and yakuza thugs which injured thousands. Although the protests ultimately failed to prevent passage of the Security Treaty, which remains in force to this day, they did shock the nation and the world, leading to the cancelation of a greatly anticipated visit to Japan by US president Eisenhower, the resignation of Japanese prime minister Kishi Nobusuke, and ultimately, the reformulation of US-Japan diplomacy and Japanese political and social relations.-- Provided by publisher

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