McVeigh . . . explicitly debunks the myths of Japanese uniqueness advanced both by romantics and by those who want to demonize Japan.

Lucien Pye, Foreign Affairs

A timely study that deserves to be read by anyone interested in contemporary Japanese culture or politics.

Kevin M. Doak, Georgetown University

McVeigh's ingenious study contributes to our understanding of both Japan and nationalism. A very important book.

Chalmers Johnson, Japan Policy Research Institute

[A] fascinating study of nationalism in Japan. . . . By the end [of the book], readers have a much more complex and nuanced sense of what it means to be Japanese, as well as what it might mean for a non-Japanese outsider to study Japan. Highly recommended.

Choice Reviews

A masterful, comprehensive analysis of nationalism in Japan, whose methodology should be an example for the study of nationalism anywhere.

Harumi Befu, Stanford University, Journal Of The Royal Anthropological Institute

[A]n ambitious attempt to synthesize and critique this large body of scholarship [on Japanese diversity], to reveal the workings of the ideological fields that continue to sustain myths of Japanese exceptionalism. This is a theoretically rich book that crosses the boundaries of discipline and area studies.

The Journal of Japanese Studies