Neighborhood and nation in Tokyo, 1905-1937
By: Sally Ann Hastings.
Series: Pitt series in policy and institutional studies
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
Published: 1995
Place of publication: Pittsburgh
Language: eng
Number of pages: 274
Subjects: Political participation -- Japan -- Tokyo -- History -- 20th century; Working class -- Japan -- Tokyo -- Political activity -- History -- 20th century; Neighborhood -- Japan -- Tokyo -- History -- 20th century; Tokyo (Japan) -- Politics and government; Tokyo (Japan) -- Social policy
Description: This book addresses an important issue concerning a relatively little-known era in Japanese history: the shaping of Japan's modern political community prior to World War II. Contesting the view that prewar Japan pushed a conservative statist agenda, Sally Hastings argues that the state bureaucracy, particularly the Home Ministry, encouraged a more participatory political and cultural environment before 1937 than is generally believed.

In this analysis of working-class areas of Tokyo, especially its Honjo ward, Hastings shows that bureaucrats were concerned with the needs of their citizens and took significant steps to protect the city's working families and the poor.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 249-265) and index.