In this Research Memo, I survey the state of the field in my area of specialization, postwar Japanese political history, comparing the academic landscape in the three countries where I have experience: the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The aim is not to provide a comprehensive analysis of historiography, but to explore how the study of history and politics, and specifically the context of modern/contemporary Japan, has been approached in three countries and how their different trends and conventions have affected my experience as a researcher. As a point of departure for the discussion, I will first briefly outline my academic background and research focus. Second, I will consider trends in particular subfields which relate to my area of research in political history and modern/contemporary Japanese history. After examining the scholarly landscape in American academia, I will turn to the Japanese context, and briefly, to the United Kingdom and Anglophone world. Finally, I will conclude by reflecting on how this comparative discussion relates to my particular research experience and by speculating on some challenges and opportunities entailed in the “new normal” of today’s uncertain world and global academic marketplace.
Taro Tsuda (Mon,) studied this question.