The death of Emperor Hirohito in 1989 ended Japan's Showa era (1926–1989) and provided the occasion for the Japanese to confront their past and the roots of their present success.

This "stimulating and comprehensive" (Kirkus Reviews) collection of original essays on twentieth-century Japan's history and culture provides a unique mix of American and Japanese perspectives on Showa. With an important, substantial Introduction by Carol Gluck, the volume explores the strengths of the Japanese economy, the issue of democracy and Japan's political culture, Japan's achievements in technology and the arts, and its relations with other Asian nations and the United States.