The image Japan projects abroad comes not only from the government or big business; it also arises from a certain private club occupying the 20th floor of a building overlooking the Ginza in Tokyo.
The Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan was organized by and for the journalists who report on this country to news organizations around the world. To commemorate the club's 50th anniversary, a group of members got together and compiled this year-by-year account of its history.
For the average reader, such a book offers an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at all the big postwar news stories. For the news people themselves, however, flipping through these pages must be like looking at an old college album. Journalism's Japan hands can enjoy the same nostalgic self-congratulation, recall the accomplishments of honored predecessors and perhaps even find their own names duly mentioned.