Peace, democracy and economic growth : political economy under the postwar dispensation -- The system begins to change : from the 1990s to 2009 -- The opposition in power : September 2009 to December 2012 -- Abe takes charge : from December 2012 -- Abenomics -- Revising and reinterpreting the 1947 constitution -- The designated secrets law and freedom of speech -- Historical revisionism, national identity, and war apology -- Legislating for collective defense by fiat : the realist view of Japan as a normal country -- Japan and its neighbors : China, Russia and the two Koreas -- Japan and the wider world : public diplomacy, economic relations and overseas development aid -- Japan : reactionary state?.