The Class of '07 : Post-Modern Japanese in the Global Village

This essay will discuss the forces and character of current change in Japan and the world today. It will discuss what kind of world the graduating class of '07 is going to live in. Over a decade ago, a calamity struck the once ascendant Japanese economy. Since then, there has been a lot of stress within Japanese society. Generations of Japanese who grew up to expect growth and satisfaction in a growing economy now face uncertainty. The class of '07 will start their working lives in a country which will soon have to decide if it is going to reinvent itself. These days, national concerns are being discussed in comparitively parochial terms such as banking practices and corporate restructuring. This essay will look at the problems Japan and the class of '07 face in a post-modern world in terms of language, ritual, images and myth.departmental bulletin pape