Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii
Note on Japanese Names ix
Introduction: The 1990s—Japan returns to Asia in the age of globalization 1
1. Taking “Japanization” seriously: Cultural globalization reconsidered 23
2. Trans/nationalism: The discourse on Japan in the global cultural flow 51
3. Localizing “Japan” in the booming Asian markets 85
4. Becoming culturally proximate: Japanese TV dramas in Taiwan 121
5. Popular Asianism in Japan: Nostalgia for (different) Asian modernity 158
6. Japan’s Asian dreamworld 199
Notes 211
References 233
Index 261

Promotional Information

An examination of the increased presence of Japanese media and popluar culture in the rest of Asia and the way it has transformed Japanese self-understanding.

About the Author

Koichi Iwabuchi is Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at Waseda University in Tokyo. For many years he was a reporter and producer for Nippon Television Network Corporation (ntv).

Reviews

"[Iwabuchi's] detailed discussion, articulated in terms of the latest cultural and globalization theories, is very illuminating. Offering, as it does, a challenge to the notion that 'global' really means 'the West', this book is highly recommended as course reading for both Japanese and Media Studies."--Mark McLelland , M/C Reviews "[A]n engaging and timely book. Its focus on Japan and Asia in the context of debates about Western-centric globalization processes is fresh and welcome... [Iwabuchi] has written a fascinating, well-researched, and original book."--Matthew Allen, Journal of Asian Studies "Recentering Globalization offers a rich and complex understanding of cultural flows between Japan and other parts of Asia-primarily Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore-and provides a valuable perspective on studies of globalization that have been centered around Europe and the U.S... It ... will appeal to a broad range of readers in business administration and cultural studies."--Joshua Hotaka Roth, Journal of Asian Business "Iwabuchi offers a powerful critique to the 'cultural imperialism' thesis by allowing for the importance of audience reception... [T]his is a refreshing and original book by a Japanese intellectual. More the hope that it will speedily enter into a popular press Japanese translation."--Geoffrey C. Gunn, Journal of Contemporary Asia F[F]ascinating... [T]he book is well worth a read."--Brian Moeran, Copenhagen Journal of Asian Studies Abstract in Business Horizons. Also reviewed in Asahi Shimbun/International Herald Tribune, CHE and boundary 2. Featured in Asia-Pacific Perspectives