“…a new, startlingly clear-sighted vision of the often misunderstood Japanese.” ' Publishers Weekly (starred review)“…An astute, accessible, and absorbingly original appreciation of a nation whose true colors have been exaggerated or misrepresented…”' Kirkus Reviews (featured review)“…an excellent primer on post-cold war Japan.”' Time“…Smith has a discerning eye for the conflicted nature of ordinary Japanese.”' Business WeekPatrick Smith has produced a landmark book – timely, authoritative and completely engrossing – that shows how Japan is engaged in a fundamental and far-reaching redefinition of itself. At the same time, Smith says, Westerners must also take a hard look at long-held myths and assumptions about Japan's historical, political, social and psychological development.In the tradition of Hedrick Smith's The Russians, Japan: A Reinterpretation is destined to become a classic work on a powerful, yet still enigmatic country and its people.