IIn Modern Japan: All That Matters, Jonathan Clements charts the rise of Japan since the end of World War Two. Presenting the country as the Japanese themselves see it, he explains key issues in national reconstruction, the often-overlooked US occupation, the influence of the Cold War, political scandals, and the meteoric rise and sudden fall of the Japanese economy in the late twentieth century. Clements chronicles changes in women's rights and consumer habits, developments in politics, education and health today, and the shadow of nuclear issues from Hiroshima to Fukushima. He also investigates the cultural impact of Japan's 'soft power', , and new trends in everything from social exclusion to second-hand chic. A final chapter examines the price Japan has paid for its success, the problems of a greying population and a declining countryside, and the long-term implications of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.