Other episodes treat the appreciation of the yen, the impact of the 1970s oil shocks, deficit financing, the internationalization of business and banking, and the post-industrial future of Japan and the Pacific Rim. Thus begins the first episode of this rollicking yet incisive introduction to the world economy from the Japanese point of view. Tsugawa, calls Kudo a wimp and sees a splendid opportunity for union busting. The American color TV industry has already suffered such a fate. Kudo fears that offshore production will devastate the numerous local subcontractors of Toyosan, leading to a hollowing out of the auto industry in Japan, leaving only a financial shell. The top management at Toyosan Motors must decide whether to begin offshore production of its cars in the U.S. They are burning Japanese cars in Detroit. In each chapter they debate opponents such as Kouichi, other history study groups, citizen activists, and South Korean students over issues such as the Japanese colonization of Korea, the status of Korean residents in Japan, and who should accept responsibility for the war.
Throughout the comic, he and Itsumi accumulate knowledge on Korea and Japan-Korea relations from the Internet, books, and senior members of the history group. Kaname's belief, however, is subsequently challenged by his grandfather's last words before his death that 'Japan contributed to the development of Korea.'Ĭonfused, Kaname decides to join the history group on entering the university and begins his quest for the 'truth' about Korea and Japan-Korea relations. Kaname initially believes the story of Japanese oppression of colonized Korea as taught at school and is critical of his grandfather who once worked for the colonial government in Korea. The story revolves around Kaname, a first-year university student, his girlfriend Itsumi, and other members of their university's 'East Asia Investigation Committee,' as well as their resident Korean friend, Kouichi.