Bending Adversity: Japan and the Art of Survival
An earthquake, a tsunami, and a nuclear meltdown made 2011 a particularly rough year for Japan, revealing long-running worries about seismic instability, economic vulnerability, and the need for political reform. Yet the nation has recovered well, continuing as a major economic and geopolitical power. Pilling, a Financial Times correspondent to Japan for seven years, examines the extraordinary resilience of the Japanese people and institutions through recent disasters and more historical catastrophes. Even as it continues to recover from the angst of having lost its way as a leader in technology, Japan draws on a culture that recognizes the opportunity to transform bad fortune—or bend adversity. Pilling talked to a broad cross section of Japan—young and old, industrialists, bankers, teachers, students, shopkeepers—for a vibrant portrait of triumph over adversity. He details Japan’s constant trade-offs between, on the one hand, stifling conformity and a paternalism that protects citizens from the harsh realities of market forces and, on the other, a surprising ability to adapt to change en masse even as it also balances its relationships with the U.S. and China. --Vanessa Bush