Harvard prof. Ezra Vogel, author of Japan as Number One, dies at 90
Ezra Vogel, a leading American expert on Japan, China and Asia broadly, and professor emeritus at Harvard University, died of complications from surgery on Sunday in Cambridge, Massachusetts, his family said. He was 90.
The professor of social science was widely known for his 1979 book Japan as Number One: Lessons for America, which became a best seller in Japan. Ezra Vogel, professor emeritus at Harvard University, was interviewed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Oct. 2, 2019. Specializing in social sciences, he has authored many books on East Asia, including Japan and China. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Dec 21, 2020
Ezra F. Vogel, 90, one of the country’s leading experts on East Asia through a career that spanned six decades, passed away in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Sunday due to complications from surgery.
Vogel studied an extraordinary range of substantive topics in multiple countries from the perspectives of various academic disciplines, retooling himself as a scholar many times over in his academic career.
He was originally trained as a sociologist studying the family in the United States. He devoted two years to language study and field research in Japan in 1958-60, emerging as a specialist on Japanese society. He then embarked on Chinese-language study in the 1960s, before it was possible to travel to mainland China, and became an accomplished scholar of Chinese society as well.
Dec 21, 2020
OSAKA – Harvard Professor Emeritus Ezra Vogel, a U.S. expert on Japan and China, has died at the age of 90, the university’s Chinese studies center said Sunday.
In Japan and among many international scholars of the country, Vogel’s 1979 book “Japan as Number One” became one of the late 20th century’s most influential works.
Offering praise of Japan’s business practices after World War II, it was a bestseller in Japan and inspired serious study abroad among a generation of undergraduate and graduate students especially in the U.S. of Japan’s economy, corporate culture and society.
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Ezra Vogel, renowned Harvard expert on Japan and China, dies aged 90 Kyodo Ezra Vogel’s book explained the reason behind Japan’s economic prosperity after World War II and praised Japanese-style business practices. Photo: Handout
Ezra Vogel, a US expert on Japan and China and professor emeritus at Harvard University, has died, the university s Chinese studies centre said Sunday. He was 90.
The professor of social science was widely known for his 1979 book Japan as Number One: Lessons for America, which became a bestseller in Japan.
The book explained the reason behind Japan s economic prosperity after World War II and praised Japanese-style business practices, helping shape US perceptions of the country.