Client State: Japan in the American Embrace

"Masterful."—Chalmers Johnson

Japan is the world's No. 2 economy, greater in GDP than Britain and France together and almost double that of China. It is also the most durable, generous, and unquestioning ally of the U.S., attaching priority to its Washington ties over all else. In Client State, Gavin McCormick examines the current transformation of Japan, designed to meet the demands from Washington that Japan become the "Great Britain of the Far East." Exploring postwar Japan's relationship with America, he contends that neoliberal pressure has been steadily applied to bring Japan in line with neoliberal principles. The Bush administration's insistance on Japan's thorough subordination has reached new levels, and is an agenda heavily in the American, rather than the Japanese national interest.