 | |
| Author | Masahiko Fujiwara |
|---|---|
| Original title | 国家の品格 |
| Translator | Giles Murray |
| Language | Japanese |
| Series | Shinchō shinsho |
Release number | 141 |
| Subject | Nationalism,Japan |
| Publisher | Shinchosha |
Publication date | 2005 |
| Publication place | Japan |
Published in English | 2007 |
| Pages | 191 |
| ISBN | 9784106101410 |
| OCLC | 62398096 |
The Dignity of the Nation (国家の品格,Kokka no Hinkaku), also translated asThe Dignity of a State orThe Dignity of Nations, is abestselling book by Japaneseessayist and mathematicianMasahiko Fujiwara. The book has sold more than two million copies in Japan.[1] A bilingualJapanese andEnglish version, translated by Giles Murray, was published in Japan in May 2007 by IBC Publishing under the English titleThe Dignity of the Nation.[2]
The title of the book mimics the title of a nationalist pamphlet issued by the Japanese government in 1937.[3]The Dignity of a State criticizes the emphasis on Westernlogic andindividuality in Japanese society, and calls for a return to the value system ofbushido.[4] It criticizesdemocracy, citingAdolf Hitler as an example of a leader using democracy to manipulate citizens.[citation needed] It also criticizes themarket economy, which Fujiwara claims is widening the economic gap between the wealthy and impoverished in Japan,[4] andglobalism, which Fujiwara claims is only a "strategy of the U.S. that seeks world domination after the Cold War."[5]
A recurring theme of the book is that American ideas of freedom and equality do not even work in the United States, so they should not be applied inJapanese society.[1]
Andrew Rankin ofThe Japan Times agreed with some of Fujiwara's criticisms of Western morality, but pointed out that "you can listen to most of Fujiwara’s other ideas for free at any noodle stand in Japan."[3] The book's popularity made "hinkaku" ("dignity") the most popularbuzzword of 2006 in Japan.[6] It also inspired books with similar titles and themes, includingMariko Bando'sThe Dignity of a Woman, which sold more than three million copies.[7][6]
