Crisis or transformation? Japan viewed from Hungary*

This paper challenges the view that Japan has been in crisis in the past decade. After citing some basic contradictory facts, the author first summarizes his arguments for the prevailing crisis mood by grouping them into ‘superficial’, ‘middle‐of‐the‐scale’ and ‘profound’ reasons. Then, in order to better prove his point that one should speak about the necessary transformation of the Japanese economy and society, rather than about the crisis, he gives a wider than usual coverage of the main areas of transformation.