The Cultural Evolution of Postwar Japan

Yamamoto Sanehiko's (1885-1952) achievements as a publisher, writer, politician and entrepreneur in the interwar period served as both a catalyst and a critical template for developments in the postwar period. Yamamoto produced the comprehensive magazine "Kaizo" that challenged the status quo, he introduced the inexpensive and revolutionary enpon books, he brought important Western figures to Japan for speaking tours, he interpreted China for his contemporaries, and he served as a politician. While exploring the accomplishments the compelling figure, this study sheds new light on the social, cultural, and political changes that occurred in postwar Japan.