The second edition of this comprehensive study of recent Japanese history now includes the author's expert assessment of the effects of the earthquake and tsunami, including the political and environmental consequences of the Fukushima reactor meltdown. * Fully updated to include a detailed assessment of the aftermath of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami * Shows how the nuclear crisis at Fukushima was an accident waiting to happen * Includes detailed discussion of Japan's energy policy, now in flux after the mishandling of the Fukushima crisis * Analyzes Japan's 'Lost Decades', why jobs and families are less stable, environmental policies, immigration, the aging society, the US alliance, the imperial family, and the 'yakuza' criminal gangs * Authoritative coverage of Japanese history over the last two decades, one of the country's most tumultuous periods