History - Fall 2025 - Week 11
HISTORY of Japanese Business: Monday 4th Period (月）4限
MONDAY History (Fall 2025)
下記の方法に従うこと
READ THE DIRECTIONS
WEEK 11HistoryDecember 8 [月] ~ December 14 [日] |
2025 Fall SemesterHistory Class Schedule (Monday)[14 weeks] | ||
| Class Week | Day | Location |
| 11 | 12/8 & extra lec. | 6009 教室 & Finance (17:00~) |
| 12 | 12/15 | 6009 教室 |
| 13 | 12/22 (no 6009) | website オンライン assignment |
| - | 12/29~1/12 (no Monday class) | No Monday classes at KU |
14 | 1/19 (no 6009) | website オンライン assignment |
| "Japaneseness as Religion" (Japan Times article from 2015) |
| "There are many in the West who look at Japan with nostalgia for the kind of monoracial and monocultural society they believe used to characterise their own countries. While I can understand the sentiment, I don’t think it’s productive or helpful." |
SECTION 1Honda Financial Information & ProductionAutomobiles & Motorcycles Performance ReportsComplete : 提出期限 (+1) Point submit by 12/11 (木) 21:00 | |
I plan to post the final assignments (for the final two weeks of class) by December 20. | |
 | 1. Honda Finance & Production(Assignment 35 points) (課題) |
*MINIMUM SCORE - score 25/35 required for first attempt - (You can try this as many times as your want, but your instructor will only consider the 1st & 2nd scores.) | |
CURRENT GRADESWeeks 1~10 401 Points Possible Assignments & Class Tasks = 401 points Updated 12/8 20:00 | |||
4th period - 4限 | |||
| ID Points (%) | |||
| 201945 312 (78%) | 592595 333 (83%) | 592620 370 (92%) | 592650 338 (84%) |
| 301770 423 (105%) | 592599 322 (80%) | 592627 403 (100%) | 592651 414 (100%) |
| 301789 196 (49%) | 592602 409 (102%) | 592628 404 (101%) | 592653 447 (111%) |
| 301965 352 (88%) | 592604 220 (55%) | 592635 351 (88%) | 592657 494 (123%) |
| 302036 391 (98%) | 592605 327 (82%) | 592637 381 (95%) | 592659 396 (99%) |
| 302070 233 (58%) | 592606 322 (80%) | 592638 331 (83%) | 592662 441 (110%) |
| 302097 288 (72%) | 592608 394 (98%) | 592639 415 (103%) | 592663 363 (91%) |
| 401827 357 (89%) | 592610 394 (98%) | 592641 393 (98%) | 592664 367 (92%) |
| 402051 262 (65%) | 592611 379 (95%) | 592643 370 (92%) | 592665 379 (95%) |
| 402091 364 (91%) | 592613 384 (96%) | 592644 468 (117%) | 592668 409 (102%) |
| 592592 382 (95%) | 592616 204 (51%) | 592645 377 (94%) | 592680 340 (85%) |
| 592593 330 (82%) | 592618 359 (90%) | 592646 390 (97%) | 592688 438 (109%) |
| 592594 419 (104%) | 592619 255 (64%) | 592649 397 (99%) | |
Market Cap - Companies 1979-2021 (video)
Foreign Investment in U.S. Government Debt (U.S. Congress stats)
The Dark Reality of Japan's Salaymen
| Japaneseness as Religion (Japan Times article from 2015) |
| There are many in the West who look at Japan with nostalgia for the kind of monoracial and monocultural society they believe used to characterise their own countries. While I can understand the sentiment, I don’t think it’s productive or helpful. |
Un-Remembering History: Japan's History Wars
SECTION 1: Article & Writingreading & writing assignment (35 points) REQUIRED for ALL STUDENTS Complete : 提出期限 (+1) Point submit by 12/6 (金) 21:00 | ||
Women: Labor.pdf1. Women: Labor(Assignment 35 points) (課題) Download the PDF article and do the assignment.Answer the questions and do the short writing. | ||
| *MINIMUM SCORE - 68% required for first attempt (24/35 full with writing score) (12/22 question score) - Only 1st & 2nd scores recorded (You can try this as many times as you want, but your instructor will only consider the 1st & 2nd attempts.) The instructor will grade your essay writing separately. LINK: GGGI - Global Gender Gap Index | ||
SECTION 2: Video InterviewInterview with Dennis Tesolat:-New economy workers in Japan -History of labor unions in Japan -Workers' rights in Japan today Complete : 提出期限 | ||
 Watch Interview | Watch the video and do the exercise. Answer the questions. Please email me if you think there are mistakes in this assignment. | |
2. Interview AssignmentAssignment (課題)Watch Interview | ||
Place to eat and drinkis popular with International Students
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September 22 [week 1] (15:20~17:00)Japan: General Themes in History -Various themes from ancient times to the present -Economic History of Japan | |
September 29 [week 2] (15:20~17:00)Japan: Foreign Technologies & Influences -China, Korea, Portugal, Holland, USA -rice, tea, silk, writing, guns, Buddhism, neo-Confucianism -Tokugawa regime (bakufu); daimyo | |
-> Imperial Japan 1868-1945 <- | |
October 6 [week 3] (15:20~17:00)Meiji Era (PART 1)15:20~16:10 (required)1870s~1910s Introduction to the Meiji Era & History of Yokohama --Assignment (PART 2) 16:20~18:20 (optional)Walking Tour of Yokohama Harbor -history in Yokohama on foot -Traditional Port Area & Yamashita Park | |
October 13 is KU holiday: no classes | |
October 20 [week 4] (15:20~17:00)Meiji Era: Industrialization 1870s~1910s -Meiji Restoration; changes to nation -Tokugawa vs. Meiji economic, political & social organization -"Western learning" through the Japanese lens -rapid industrialization; zaibatsu ("financial cliques" = monopolies) -steel; shipbuilding; textiles -wars: China & Russia; annexation of Taiwan & Korea -industrial boom due to WWI video: zaibatsu illustration (6 min.) Class PDFs | |
October 27 [week 5] TWO PARTS(PART 1) (required 70 min.) 15:20~16:30 1920s & 1930s -economy and politics after WWI; the 1920s-30s -consumer product markets: cosmetics; clothes, cars -birth of Toyota, Nissan, etc. -zaibatsu expansion -"new zaibatsu" and growth of militarism & global crises -banking crisis of 1927 (general) 昭和金融恐慌 Shōwa Kin'yū Kyōkō -Economist article: The Problem with the Meiji Period (PART 2) (EXTENDED LECTURE) (optional 60 min.) 16:40~17:40 -economy and politics in the 1920s-30s -global crises increase zaibatsu and militarism -details about internal & external conflicts -Japan's actions in China (1931~onward) -Second China-Japan War (1937-1945) Bloody Saturday (baby bombed photo) | |
November 3 [week 6] TWO PARTS(PART 1) (required 70 min.) 15:20~16:30 -democracy, labor, peacetime economy 1923-36 -Japan's wartime economy, 1937-45 -war benefits zaibatsu, Toyota, Nissan, etc. -how the war affects issues today Asia-Pacific War (1937-1945) -War 1937-1945 (map of each day: video) (PART 2) (EXTENDED LECTURE) (optional 60 min.) 16:40~17:40 -details about the relationship between Japan & USA -details about the Pacific War -U.S. campaign in the Pacific -the atomic bombs and impact -"Downfall" by Richard Frank (End of the Japanese Empire) -Asia-Pacific War: Death Tolls & Actual Focus -WWII in the Pacific (1941-1945) | |
-> Japan after 1945 <- | |
November 10 [week 7]-democracy, labor, peacetime economy 1923-36 -Japan's wartime economy, 1937-45 -war benefits zaibatsu, Toyota, Nissan, etc. -the failure of Japanese colonialism 1. US Occupation & Japanese Culture-lecture about post-1945 Japan -postwar Japan & new companies like SONY | |
November 17 [week 8] TWO PARTS(PART 1) (required 75 min.) 15:20~16:35To understand Japan today, it is important to understand Japan after 1945. 1945-1960: Postwar occupation and recovery -current economic complexity - Japan -economic and political rebuilding (economic & political ideologies) -new constitution (1947) and industrial institutions (zaibatsu -> keiretsu) -developing close ties with the U.S. -war in Korea drives recovery in Japan -NTT from AT&T -birth of Sony, Honda, & Japan becomes exporter -evolution of Yamaha -Does Capitalism Actually Limit Creativity? Innovation Under Socialism (article) (PART 2.1) (optional 60 min.) 16:45~17:45Cold War in East Asia 1945-1991 (PART 1) -political, economic, & military conflicts of the period -revolution in China -polarized region: China & USSR vs. USA, Japan, allies -post-colonialism & revolution; violence & genocide -war in Korea: revolution in Indonesia; war in Vietnam; genocide in Cambodia Cold War in East Asia 1945-1991 (PART 2): More details, questions, etc. | |
November 24 [week 9](PART 1) (required) 15:20~16:551960s & 1970s -High-Growth Period of 1960s-70s -two economies: old industrialist vs. new consumerist -the new efficient business model -the new Japanese management model (Meyer's Culture Map) -Toyota Production System -creating the world's 2nd largest GDP -oil & automobiles, electronics (exports) (PART 2) (optional) 17:05~17:45Extra discussion and details about this period | |
December 1 [week 10](1) Room 6009: History of women in Japan (15:20~17:00)-themes and topics from history that are important today -women in business and politics -working, labor: career statistics -Japanese women in the arts -geisha [geiko] vs. maiko -Japanese patriarchy & family system -family -women under the law (sex crime statistics) Between 2019 and 2022, nearly 40% of countries – home to over 1.1. billion women and girls in 2022 – stagnated or declined on gender equality. (SDG Report, 2025). Unfortunately, Japan is one of the stagnating countries. Most other stagnating countries are poor countries. (PART 2)(optional) 17:10~18:00Extra discussion and details about this topic | |
December 8 [week 11] (15:20~17:00)Bubble economy バブル経済 (1980s-90s)-Japan's economy in the 1980s-90s -management styles & philosophies -effects on Japan since year 2000 | |
December 15 [week 12] (15:20~16:35)Entertainment industry (exporting)-entertainment industry (exports) -film, anime & manga (industrial report) -Kurosawa, samurai films, Godzilla (ゴジラ) | |
December 22 [week 13] = Website (online)Histoy and video on Japan since 1990s --web assignment | |
December 29 & January 5 & January 12 are holidays: no classes | |
January 19 [week 14] = Website (online)--FINAL ASSIGNMENT due | |
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Contact (email) Theron Fairchildtheron at mailfence dot com | |
Asia-Pacific War | |
 Richard Frank is an American historian who specializes in the Asia-Pacific War. He is known for extremely detailed research and writing, relying on evidence available from both Japanese and American archives. Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire is the best book I have read about the end of the war, from both Japanese and American perspectives. The book focuses on 1945, discussing in detail the dire situation of Japan and the decisions leading up to the use of the atomic bombs. | Some videos included during sessionSome students have requested a second lecture on the Pacific War. There are many possible points to cover, so what are you interested in? Possibilities: 1. Japan's occupation of Asian regions (occupation, violence, war crimes) 2. Industrial wartime production (population & factories) 3. The U.S. bombing & blockade campaign 4. Atomic Weapons Development & Japan (wartime & afterward) Let me know if any of these interest you, or if you have some other topics that interest you. WWII CasualtiesCasualties in Asia about 35 million total, with Chinese casualties almost 20 million. |
| VIDEO Prewar -Japan: Rise of Ultranationalism -China: Conflict with itself & Japan -USA: American Empire War Factories: -Japan: Mitsubishi Zero -USA: Aviation -USA: Ships Bombing: -U.S. B-29 (Tokyo Raid) War Crimes: -Nanjing Massacre (Rape of Nanking) -Japan: Unit 731 & beyond (Australian news documentary) -Comfort Women: Interview with Ms. Kim Bok-Dong (survivor) -Comparison: Nazi Death Squads (SS Einsatzgruppen) Articles: -Article: Overview of War in Asia -Article: Atomic Narratives (by TF) | |
