ABSTRACT

The purpose of the introductory chapter is twofold. First it explores the notion of the ‘postwar’ in contemporary Japan. The loss or ‘ending’ of the postwar has been a recurrent theme in public debates in Japan for the last 20 years, while what it has been replaced by is yet to be articulated. By exploring a multitude of discourses that narrate the ending of the postwar, the chapter identifies three analytical prerequisites to approaching and understanding the contemporariness of contemporary Japan. Second, the introductory chapter provides readers with the rationale behind the structure of the book.