1 Introduction -- Part I Society and Demography.- 2 Italy's Population: A Portrait.- 3 Changed Discourses on Demography in Japan.- 4 Where Is the Forgotten Giant Heading to? The Current State and Future of Japanese Economics and Politics -- Part II Politics.- 5 Japan's US-'Imposed' Post War Constitution: How, Why and What for?.- 6 Italy: Birth of the Post War Constitution and the Republican Constitutional Order.- 7 Parties and Electoral Behaviour in Italy: From Stability to Competition.- 8 The Italian Election of February 2013: A Temporary Shock or a Harbinger of a New Party System?.- 9 Flocking Together? The Breakdown and Revival of Political Clientelism in Italy and Japan.- 10 Studying Electoral Engineering via a Double-Barrelled Natural Experiment: Comparing the Long Run Consequences of 1990s Electoral Reform in Italy and Japan -- Part III Economics -- 11 The Italian Economy 1961-2010: From Economic "Miracle" to Decline -- 12 Ageing, Debt, and Growth Crises: Two Forerunners -- 13 Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Italy and Japan -- Part IV International Relations -- 14 Japan's Search for a New Identity: Japan's Domestic Politics and Its Foreign Policy after the Cold War -- 15 Domestic Constraints, Governmental Instability and Italian Foreign Policy -- 16 Italy and Japan: The Price of Defeat in Post WWII International Relations -- 17 The Admissions of Italy and Japan to the United Nations: History and Diplomacy -- 18 Hosts and Hostilities: Base Politics in Italy and Japan -- 19 Italy and Japan as Security Actors: Still Free Riding on the US?.

This book provides an enlightening comparative analysis of Japan's and Italy's political cultures and systems, economics, and international relations from World War II to the present day. It addresses a variety of fascinating questions, ranging from the origins of the authoritarian regimes and post-war one-party rule in both countries, through to Japan's and Italy's responses to the economic and societal challenges posed by globalization and their international ambitions and strategies. Similarities and differences between the two countries with regard to economic development models, the relationship of politics and business, economic structures and developments, and international relations are analyzed in depth. This innovative volume on an under-researched area will be of great interest to those with an interest in Italian and Japanese politics and economics.