Introduction -- An overview : evolutionary history and translative adaptation -- The Edo society: preparing conditions for industrialization -- Transition from Edo to Meiji -- Importing and absorbing technology -- Development of key industries -- Budget, finance and the macroeconomy of Meiji -- World War I and the 1920s -- The banking crisis of 1927 -- The 1930s and the war economy -- Postwar recovery 1945-49 -- The high growth era -- Economic maturity and slowdown -- The asset bubble and prolonged recession -- Questions and answers.