• The American Occupation of Japan, 1945-1952 [Asia for Educators]
A teaching unit with an essay outlining Japan's political and economic transformation under the American Occupation, with discussion questions, a supplementary reading list for student reports, and additional student activities.

• The Allied Occupation of Japan [About Japan: A Teacher's Resource]
Essay providing "an overview of the reforms and examin[ing] the controversy surrounding an especially contentious period in Japanese history, the Allied Occupation."

Lesson Plan • The Occupation of Japan and Democratic Reform [About Japan: A Teacher's Resource]
Learning goals for students: 1) Understand the relationship between the Japanese people and the Occupation, and the nature of the Occupation’s democratic reforms; 2) Understand the origins, content, and implications of the 1947 “MacArthur” Constitution; 3) Understand why the decision was made to retain Emperor Hirohito on the throne and what the larger, long-term implications of this decision might have been.

• Postwar Japan, 1952-1989 [About Japan: A Teacher's Resource]
Essay examining "the positive and negative reactions to the changes that occurred in postwar Japan, specifically in regard to the quality of life."

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• Contemporary Japan, 1989–Present [About Japan: A Teacher's Resource]
Essay examining "the economic, social and international challenges facing contemporary Japan."

• Framing Twentieth-Century Japan: A Top-Ten List [About Japan: A Teacher's Resource]
"A leading professor of modern Japanese history offers his provocative thoughts about the ten most important themes for American students to learn about 20th-century Japan."

• Top Ten Things to Know about Japan in the Late 1990s [Education About Asia, Association for Asian Studies]
"Images of samurai and sumo wrestlers, of geisha and cherry blossoms, should not mislead: Japan is no exotic Lotusland..."

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• Power and Politics in Modern Japan [Asia for Educators]
An essay that gives a brief history of the structure of government in Japan. Emphasis is on the role of the emperor and the role of the Diet, Japan's legislative body.

• The Government of Modern Japan: The Branches and Their Functions [Asia for Educators]
This unit contains basic facts about the three branches of the modern Japanese government: the executive, legislative, and judicial.

The Emperor
Video Unit • The Emperor Before and After the Second World War [Asia for Educators]
An audio/visual unit on Emperor Hirohito (1901-1989), who was the emperor of Japan from 1926 to 1989. He chose to designate his reign with the term "Showa" (Enlightened Peace), and he is sometimes referred to as the Emperor Showa. His reign was the longest of any monarch in Japanese history. Featuring Columbia University professor Gerald L. Curtis.

The Prime Minister
Video Unit • The Prime Minister and Leadership in Japanese Politics [Asia for Educators]
An audio/visual unit on the role of the prime minister in Japanese politics, covering the process by which they are elected, the leadership styles of past Japanese prime ministers, and the reasons for their relatively limited power. Featuring Columbia University professor Gerald L. Curtis.

Video Unit • Factions in Japanese Politics [Asia for Educators]
An audio/visual unit on the role of political factions in Japanese politics, covering the role of factions within political parties, the various coalitions among the factions, politicians' various allegiances to factions, and the declining importance of factions in Japan's political culture. Featuring Columbia University professor Gerald L. Curtis.

Video Unit • Interest Groups in Japanese Politics [Asia for Educators]
An audio/visual unit on the role of interest groups in Japanese politics, covering the major interest groups, their respective power and political clout, and the distinction between interest groups and lobbyists. Featuring Columbia University professor Gerald L. Curtis.

• Role-playing Exercise: Decision-making [Asia for Educators]
A short essay describing the various organizations that influence political decisions followed by an extensive role play in which students debate whether income taxes should be raised or lowered.

Elections and Electoral Politics
• The Government of Modern Japan: Elections [Asia for Educators]
An essay explaining how politicians are elected in Japan. Discussion questions and a student exercise are included.

Video Unit • Japan's Electoral Laws [Asia for Educators]
An audio/visual unit on Japan's election laws, covering the various restrictions and practices unique to Japanese politics and the overall effect of these practices on the political culture of Japan. Featuring Columbia University professor Gerald L. Curtis.

Video Unit • Japan's Electoral Process, 1925-1994 [Asia for Educators]
An audio/visual unit on the development of Japan's electoral system and the process by which politicians reach elected office, covering intra-party competition, the role of minority parties, recent reforms, new factions, and possible future objectives. Featuring Columbia University professor Gerald L. Curtis.

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Lesson Plan • Japan in the World Since 1945 [About Japan: A Teacher's Resource]
"This lesson explores Japan's politics after the Allied Occupation, in particular the close but conflicted relationship with the United States, the sometimes strained relations with China and South Korea, and Japan's military policy."

Primary Source w/DBQs • Article 9 and the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty [Asia for Educators]
Both Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution [PDF], which prohibits Japan from maintaining military forces for settlement of international disputes, and the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty, which allows the U.S. military to maintain bases on Japanese soil, have been at the center of controversy both in Japan and the United States. This unit includes an essay that explores the changing attitudes towards these two agreements, as well as two primary-source readings: the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty of 1951 [PDF] and the revised security treaty of 1960 [PDF]. With discussion questions for students.

• Classroom Debate: Should Japan Increase Its Defense Effort? [Asia for Educators]
An introductory essay and six differing opinions are offered to students who then debate how Japan should manage its defense force.

• Understanding Okinawa’s Role in the U.S.-Japan Security Agreement [PDF] [Japan Digest, National Clearinghouse for United States-Japan Studies]
"Today, Okinawa plays host to over 52,000 U.S. military and civilian personnel, the majority of whom live in central Okinawa. Conversely, 57,000 U.S. personnel are assigned throughout the islands of Honshu and Kyushu. Thus, roughly half of all U.S. forces in Japan are concentrated in a land area representing less than 0.6 percent of Japan’s territory."

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• Japan's Foreign Relations and Role in the Late 20th Century [Asia for Educators]
A brief outline of Japan's historical role in international relations, and a synopsis of Japan's relationship with various countries and regions in the post-war period. Includes a suggested classroom activity for students.

• Examining the Japanese History Textbook Controversies [PDF] [Japan Digest, National Clearinghouse for United States-Japan Studies]
"The controversy surrounding the adoption of middle school history textbooks in Japan raises the question, Why are textbooks — history textbooks in particular — important enough to fight over?"

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• Learning from the Japanese Economy [PDF] [Japan Digest, National Clearinghouse for United States-Japan Studies]
"After World War II, East Asia was the only region of the world that experienced continual substantial economic growth and no other East Asian country enjoyed more economic success than Japan. The Japanese economic pie grew at an annual rate of ten percent from the mid-1950s until the Arab oil shocks of the early 70s."

Lesson Plan • The Bubble Economy and the Lost Decade [About Japan: A Teacher's Resource]
"This lesson uses well-know editorials, speeches, and poems to explore the Japanese reaction to the Bubble Economy and Lost Decade."

• Understanding the Japanese Economy (Research Exercises for Students) [Asia for Educators]
Eight exercises that ask students to use the internet to research specific aspects of Japan's economy and trade. Background information and questions are included with each exercise.

• Japan's Economy and Trading Patterns: A Fact Sheet [Asia for Educators]

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Video Unit • Contemporary Japan: Urban and Rural Life [Asia for Educators]
The Japanese archipelago — with more than one thousand islands in all — spans diverse living environments: snowy mountains in the northern island of Hokkaido; bustling cities such as Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka; tropical rice paddies in southern Kyushu. In this video series, Harvard University professors Theodore Bestor and Helen Hardacre describe the character of both urban and rural life in Japan.

Video Unit • Contemporary Japan: The Japanese Family [Asia for Educators]
Although Japanese family roles have changed considerably in the 20th century, aspects of the traditional ie, or “continuing family,” still remain. The Japanese have a saying that even if an extended family does not live together, parents and grandparents should live near enough to carry over a bowl of hot soup. In this video series, Harvard University professors Theodore Bestor and Helen Hardacre describe the enduring importance of traditional family values in Japan.

Video Unit • Contemporary Japan: Education and Work [Asia for Educators]
Much attention has been given to the rigor of the Japanese education system and workplace, both of which have certainly contributed to the country’s economic and technological growth. Japanese are expected from a young age to work hard and succeed in a highly competitive environment. In this video series, Harvard University professors Theodore Bestor and Helen Hardacre explain the educational system and path to postgraduate employment in Japan.

Video Unit • Contemporary Japan: Japanese Society [Asia for Educators]
Japanese often think of themselves as a homogeneous society, with a strong sense of group and national identity and little or no ethnic or racial diversity. But such differences exist in Japan, as in all societies, as Harvard University professors Theodore Bestor and Helen Hardacre explain in this video series. Rather, what is perhaps most unique about Japanese society is its highly structured approach to managing and resolving these differences.

Video Unit • Contemporary Japan: Pop Culture [Asia for Educators]
Nowhere in the world is popular culture more influential than in Japan. From Hello Kitty and Pokémon to anime (animation) and manga (comics), the culture of youth dominates Japanese media. In this video series, Harvard University professors Theodore Bestor and Helen Hardacre explain what Japanese popular culture reveals about the society’s history, religions, and national consciousness.

Video Unit • Contemporary Japan: Religions [Asia for Educators]
In addition to the traditional religions of Shinto and Buddhism, Japan is also home to more than 600 “new religions” (shinko shukyo), which incorporate Buddhist, Shinto, and Christian elements. In this video series, Harvard University professors Theodore Bestor and Helen Hardacre discuss the impact of religious values and traditions on Japanese life.

• The Age of the Middle Class [About Japan: A Teacher's Resource]
Essay examining "the impact of middle-class lifestyle and taste on Japanese culture in the early 20th century."

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Primary Source • "The Pomegranate," by Kawabata Yasunari [Asia for Educators]
The full text of "The Pomegranate," a short story by Kawabata Yasunari (1889-1972), the first Japanese writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature. Includes discussion questions.

Primary Source • "Japan, the Beautiful and Myself" [The Nobel Foundation]
The full text of Kawabata Yasunari's Nobel Lecture, delivered on December 12, 1968.

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Lesson Plan • National Identity and Literature from Okinawa [About Japan: A Teacher's Resource]
"Through examples of Okinawan literature and its relationship to the larger genre of 'Japanese literature,' the author(s) of this lesson addresses problems in the definition of ethnic and national identities."

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