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Chapter Resources

Chapter 14: The ‘Developmental States’: Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, 1945–2007

Debates

Debating Japan's ‘economic miracle’

Discussion Questions

  1. “The post-war economic success of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan was largely due to American sponsorship.” Discuss.
  2. “Japan's economic miracle was due to the guiding role played by MITI.” Discuss.
  3. Why did Japan never rearm fully in the Cold War period?
  4. Why and with what consequences did the Liberal Democratic Party emerge in 1955?
  5. What effect did the Security Treaty crisis of 1960 have on Japanese politics?
  6. Why and with what consequences did Japan and the Republic of Korea open diplomatic relations in 1965?
  7. Account for the rise of Japan's omni-directional diplomacy in the 1970s.
  8. Why and with what consequences did the Liberal Democratic Party lose power in Japan in 1993?
  9. Why did the Republic of Korea and the Republic of China only start to become democratic in the late 1980s?
  10. Why has Japan failed to become a ‘normal state’?

Weblinks

This chapter does not lend itself to weblinks — please refer to the recommended reading in the textbook for additional support material.