Japan spent the first half of the 20th century trying to impose its power on its neighbors by force. It then spent the second half of the 20th century trying to persuade everyone to forget about the first half. In the 25 years following the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Japan traced a brilliant path to modernism. The West was sold on Japan - or sold to it. But the social and political truth of Japan has often been masked by its economic successes and the West's blind and obsequious Japanophiles. The truth is the dark days of the early 20th century still cast a shadow over Japanese society, a society that contains brutal injustices, distorted media images, entrenched prejudice and pervasive corruption. Fred Varcoe offers what he sees as a counterbalancing view to the sycophantically positive images presented in so many media portrayals of Japan. It is not a delicate view. It is, instead, a brutal look at elements of Japanese society told in an acerbic and personal style by a veteran Japan-based writer.