List of Publications by Christopher Hood

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Books

Dealing With Disaster in Japan: Responses to the Flight JL123 Crash (2011)
Just as the sinking of the Titanic is embedded in the public consciousness in the English-speaking world, so the crash of JAL flight JL123 is part of the Japanese collective memory. The 1985 crash involved the largest loss of life for any single air crash in the world. 520 people, many of whom had been returning to their ancestral home for the Obon religious festival, were killed; there were only four survivors.

This book tells the story of the crash, discusses the many controversial issues surrounding it, and considers why it has come to have such importance for many Japanese. It shows how the Japanese responded to the disaster: trying to comprehend how a faulty repair may have caused the crash, and the fact that rescue services took such a long time to reach the remote crash site; how the bereaved dealt with their loss; how the media in Japan and in the wider world reported the disaster; and how the disaster is remembered and commemorated. The book highlights the media coverage of anniversary events and the Japanese books and films about the crash; the very particular memorialization process in Japan, alongside Japanese attitudes to death and religion; it points out in what ways this crash both reflects typical Japanese behaviour and in what ways the crash is unique.

For more detailed information about the book click here.

Details about the book at Routledge, Amazon.com, Amazon.UK, Amazon.JP
The Politics of Modern Japan, 4 volumes, (2008), Editor
Japanese politics is important. And yet, outside of Japan, it is largely ignored by the media and overlooked by academics. Owing to the changing nature of Japan and its role within the world, more needs to be known of the dynamics of Japanese politics. This timely set brings together key articles on the most crucial issues facing Japanese politics today, and the relationship between Japanese politics and the main institutions including big business, the bureaucracy and the media.

Volume One has chapters that cover party politics and the way in which parties operate in Japanese society as a whole, taking into account changes and developments in recent years.

Volume Two has chapters concentrating on the changing role of the prime minister. This has been of particular interest due to the leadership of the dynamic Prime Minister Koizumi, who was Prime Minister when the majority of articles in this collection were written.

Volume Three is primarily concerned with Japanese politics on the international stage.

Volume Four returns to domestic politics and contains chapters which focus upon electoral politics.

Purchase from Routledge, the publisher Purchase from Amazon.co.uk
Shinkansen: From Bullet Train to Symbol of Modern Japan (2006)
The image of the shinkansen - or ’bullet train’ - passing Mount Fuji is one of the most renowned images of modern Japan. Yet, despite its international reputation for speed and punctuality, little is understood about what makes it work so well and what its impact is. This is a comprehensive account of the history of the shinkansen, from its planning during the Pacific War, to its launch in 1964 and subsequent development. It goes on to analyze the reasons behind the bullet train's success, and demonstrates how it went from being simply a high-speed rail network to attaining the status of iconic national symbol. It considers the shinkansen's relationship with national and regional politics and economic development, its financial viability, the environmental challenges it must cope with, and the ways in which it reflects and influences important aspects of Japanese society. It concludes by considering whether the bullet train can be successful in other countries developing high-speed railways. Overall, this book provides a thorough examination of the phenomenon of the shinkansen, and its relationship with Japanese society.

For more detailed information about the book click here.
Information from publishers, purchase from Amazon.co.uk, purchase from Amazon.com, purchase from Amazon.co.jp. The book is now available in paperback direct from the publishers - (click here for more information) and from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, and Amazon.co.jp
Doing Business with the Japanese (2003), co-editor with Prof G. Bownas and D. Powers
(includes Chapter 'Getting About in Japan', 130-141.)
A one-stop guide to Japanese business practice, but this is no ordinary guide to the dos and don'ts of business etiquette in Japan. Twenty experts and real businesspeople guide the reader in approaching and succeeding in this “difficult, but attractive market”.

Information from publishers,
purchase from Amazon.co.uk, purchase from Amazon.co.jp.
Japanese Education Reform: Nakasone's Legacy (2001)
The Japanese education system has attracted increasing attention over the past twenty years, largely due to the belief that it has been central to Japan's economic growth. Many have felt, however that the system is stunted by an inability, or perhaps even an incapacity, to change. This study challenges these contentions. It examines the reform policies initiated by Prime Minister Nakasone during the 1980s and argues that, not only has the system changed considerably as a result of Nakasone's work, but it continues to do so. It analyses the key areas of the education reform debate, in particular internationalism, government control of education, increased liberalization and various social problems, and considers the degree to which response to them have been successful. This book will be of great interest to all those interested in the Japanese educational system.

For more detailed information about the book click here.

Information from publishers, purchase from Amazon.co.uk, purchase from Amazon.com, purchase from Amazon.co.jp.

Articles available online from this site

This contains a selection of articles that I have written - some of which have not been published elsewhere. These articles were written with very different audiences in mind, which accounts for the different writing styles & levels of information.

Articles available online from other sites

Other publications

    Contrbution to the chapter 'Contrasting Experiences of Growth and Decline in Regional Japan', in Japan's Shrinking Regions in the 21st Century: Contemporary Responses to Depopulation and Socioeconomic Decline by P. Matanle and A. Rausch with the Shrinking Regions Research Group (eds.), Cambria Press, pp131-154, ISBN 9781604977585.
    Information from publishers
  • ‘Researching Japan’s Worst Plane Crash’, JAWS (Japan Anthropology Workshop) Newsletter, No.42, April 2008, ISSN 1356-5631, 38-40.
  • ‘Igirisu-ga hitsuyō-to suru mono – sore-wa shinkansen, kōkyō kōtsu no nichiei hikaku’, Comparative Law and Culture (Surugadai University Institute of Comparative Law Bulletin), Issue 14, 2006, 55-69.
  • ‘Shinkansen: Pioneering High Speed Railway’, The Slough & Windsor Triangle, No.70, September 2006, 12-13.
  • 'High-speed trains in Japan', Railway Strategies, Issue 37, June/July 2006, ISSN 1467-0399, 111-113.
  • 'All Change', The World Today, Vol. 62, Numbers 8 & 9, Aug/Sep 2006 (2006), 28-9.
  • 'Mad in Japan: Only Joking?' in Kondo K (ed.) Yuganda Kagami-ni Utsutta Nihon – Japan Reflected in a Cracked Mirror, Tokyo: GNAC (2005), ISBN 4-9902856-0-3, 250—8 (Japanese translation 'Hon no Jōdan desuyo!' also in same book on pages 113-20).
    • 'The Third Great Reform of the Japanese Education System: Success in the 1980s Onwards", in Can the Japanese Change Their Education System? by R. Goodman and D. Phillips (eds.), Symposium Books, pp73-85, ISBN 1-873927-59-2.
    Information from publishers,
    purchase from Amazon.co.uk, purchase from Amazon.com, purchase from Amazon.co.jp.
  • 'The Election of Ishihara: A Symbol of Rising Nationalism in Japan?', East Asia Research Review, Proceedings of the First UK Post-Graduate Conference in East Asian Studies, British Association of Japanese Studies, July 1999.
  • 'Zeniarai Benten Shrine' (p.11), 'Takayama' (p.24), 'Sumo in Nagoya' (p.25), in A Collection of Travel Writings, Japan National Tourist Organization, London Office, 1996.

Translations

Thesis & Dissertation



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