The Iconoclast, Tobias Harris
The Iconoclast, Tobias Harris
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The Iconoclast
Shinzo Abe and the New Japan

Author: Tobias Harris

Narrator: Ward Sexton

Unabridged: 14 hr 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 10/25/2022


Synopsis

Shinzo Abe entered politics burdened by high expectations: that he would change Japan. In 2007, seemingly overwhelmed, he resigned after only a year as prime minister. Yet, following five years of reinvention, he masterfully regained the premiership in 2012, and now dominates Japanese democracy as no leader has done before.

Abe has inspired fierce loyalty among his followers, cowing Japan's left with his ambitious economic program and support for the security and armed forces. He has staked a leadership role for Japan in a region being rapidly transformed by the rise of China, and India, while carefully preserving an ironclad relationship with Trump's America.

The Iconoclast tells the story of Abe's meteoric rise and stunning fall, his remarkable comeback, and his unlikely emergence as a global statesman laying the groundwork for Japan's survival in a turbulent century.

About Tobias Harris

Tobias Harris is a senior vice president of the advisory firm Teneo, covering Japan, and East Asia. Since working for a Japanese legislator in 2006-2007, he has run the blog Observing Japan, commented on Japanese politics for major publications and on television and radio programs; and conducted graduate research at MIT and the University of Tokyo. From 2014-2020, he was a research fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA, where he studied Japan's political economy and analyzed public opinion polls.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Geoffrey on October 13, 2021

Whenever people ask for good, scholarly books on Japan, I now recommend two books: Herbert Bix's biography of Emperor Hirohito, and this one, Tobias Harris's The Iconoclast. Author Tobias Harris writes a detailed, erudite biography of Japan's most iconic leader in recent memory -- he's the longest-s......more

Goodreads review by Annie Jabs on April 16, 2021

This book definitely reads more like a performance review of Abe’s political feats versus a biography of Abe the man, which is a bit of a shame because it’s very time and place (I read it less than a year after publication and it’s already out of date given Abe’s surprise resignation in late 2020).......more

Goodreads review by Brock on April 22, 2023

Shinzo Abe’s rise to leadership from being the mediocre unmotivated youngest son of a political family to prime minister of Japan for a record breaking 3 terms. His older brother was supposed to follow in his Grandfather and fathers footsteps as a representative in the Japanese Diet and not the youn......more

Goodreads review by Peter on April 09, 2022

A comprehensive review of Shinzo Abe and Japanese society during his time in power, perhaps the most impactful Japanese leader in the 21st century. While a series of events since the book's publishing obviously has left it not fully up to date for a reader in 2022, the book does a solid job presenti......more

Goodreads review by Gabor on October 29, 2023

One of the best books I've ever read about Japanese politics and a comperehensive biography about Abe Shinzo, the legendary prime minister and leader of Japan. The author, Tobias Harris, is one of the best among non-Japanese when it comes to understanding and explaining Japanese politics. The book i......more