Japan is on the way up. That much is obvious from improved business confidence, its successful bid for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the early economic successes of "Abenomics," with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proclaiming to the world the arrival of "a new dawn."

Critical Issues in Contemporary Japan, by Jeff Kingston.ROUTLEDGE, Academic.Rating: ★★★

However, Japan watchers have long memories, particularly those tasked with assessing social changes in the world's third-largest economy.