ABSTRACT
When the new era of Heisei was proclaimed with the accession to the throne of Emperor Akihito in January 1989, the Japanese economy was at the apogee ofits power. The Cold War was over, confrrmed later that year in the Malta declaration between the United States and the Soviet Union. America remained the only superpower, but was beset by fmancial woes. It was widely believed that Pax Americana was not possible without the active participation of Japan. If the major antagonists in the past conflict were to "beat their swords into ploughshares," then the path Japan had taken in the postwar years bad to be proven correct. Economic prosperity under the peace constitution worked wonders. The new reign era name Heisei, or "achieving peace," seemed to signify the renewed self-confidence ofthe nation. To some, the coming century was Japan's to claim. There was wealth, better distributed than most. There was security, with the crime rate lowest among all advanced nations. Japan became "the country closest to heaven." 1 If anyone were worthy of inheriting the earth, they thought, it would almost have to be the Japanese.
