Book review: Building a new economy: Japan’s digital and green transformation. by D. Hugh Whittaker. Oxford University Press, 2024.

Many critics have attributed Japan's slow adaptation to international market norms introduced by Anglophone countries as a primary cause of its long-term economic stagnation since the 1990s and its recent struggles with digitalization and the green transition.However, since the 2007-09 Global Financial Crisis, negative aspects of neoliberalism and financial capitalism have increasingly come to the fore, causing serious social divisions in many major economies (including the United States).These problems have been compounded by geopolitical tensions, including the U.S.-China rivalry, the Russia-Ukraine War, and upheavals in the Middle East.In the context of the fragmentation of the global political economy, it is crucial for governments to consider socio-political factors, including social welfare and military security, in their economic policy-making regarding investments in digital innovation, clean technology, and green infrastructure.