Over the past two decades, Japan's power to affect the rest of our planet has grown at an astonishing rate. The global reach of Japanese industry, finance and technology has been felt in almost every country. Yet Japan remains an enigma to most people, in part because the country has faced more formidable barriers to the export of its cultural, artistic and intellectual accomplishments than it has to the products of its industries. Today, the volume of information on Japan that reaches other countries is small in comparison to need. This encyclopedia is an attempt to redress this imbalance. It is:

	a fully updated online resource that will give you a key to unlocking the complex society of modern Japan.
	a wealth of hard data on Japanese politics, government, economics and corporate behavior.
	a treasury of Japanese art, culture, and history.
	a guide to the more subtle traditions that have shaped Japanese life and thought throughout the centuries.