An insider's look at today's Japan, as history transforms it from an insular commercial giant into a nation among nations, with renewed military, diplomatic, and financial powers At the dawn of the new millennium, Japan is once again undergoing radical change, just as it did when it opened its doors to trade in the nineteenth century or rose from the ashes of World War II. Today's political, financial, and economic crises, however, reflect a confluence of trends that are proving that its current model for growth, a success for half a century, is unsustainable. In Kawari (which means "change" in Japanese), Milton Ezrati paints a rich, multi-dimensional, and provocative picture of Japan in transition. Analyzing economic, social, political, demographic, and cultural trends, Ezrati argues that Japan is poised to recover from its current crises, liberalize its trade policies, and evolve into a major diplomatic and military power-but not without profound consequences for its people and for the world at large.