Featuring analyses from leading scholars around the globe, this textbook examines evolving contexts of Japan throughout the Heisei era and how longstanding verities and values are being called into question. Features in this textbook include: Analysis of key issues ranging from immigration, civil society, press freedom, politics, labour and the economy, diversity, the marginalization of women, Shinto, and Aum Shinrikyo; Evaluation of the impact of Emperor Akihito on war memory, the imperial institution, art, regional relations and constitutional revision; Multidisciplinary insights from both the social sciences and humanities; Rich illustrations for visual analysis of developments in literature, film, art, and pop culture and what they reveal about contemporary Japan.