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It is generally accepted that the "invention of tradition" is the product of two combined phenomena : on the one hand, government intervention in the economy resulting from the establishment of contemporary nation-states, and on the other hand, the process of "commodification". In Japan, the "commodification of traditions" is being carried out at a tremendous pace in the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics. The short-term objective is to attract foreign tourists to Japan in order to stimulate the country's economy, and at present, the search for a "Profitable Cultural Heritage" has become the driving force of the Japanese nation's cultural and economic policies. The Edo period, during which a traditional culture created by the people was born, is at the heart of this process of commodification. The "commodification of Edo", which appears through clothing trends, historical fictions and movies, and also video games, tends to present a one-sided vision of this period, a vision of a society devoid of any contradiction, which is at the origin of what we will call "representations of the Good Old Edo." Moreover, the construction of these "representations" also constitutes a means for the nation-state to encourage the integration of a national consciousness among Japanese people, leading them to turn away from current problems to contemplate with nostalgia the traditions of a happy society. After first analyzing the constitution and evolution of "representations of the Good Old Edo", we will examine in detail the creation of the "Tokyo cultural resources district," which is at the heart of a series of political measures aimed at transforming cultural heritage assets into tourist resources, and at the center of the cultural program of the Tokyo Olympics. Finally, we will highlight in a concrete way the various problems related to this project. Beyond the matter of the Tokyo Olympics, it seems important to us that historians get to work in order to counter the wave of cultural nationalism caused by the spread of these "representations of the Good Old Edo". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on Japan, its economic, political, and social crises, and its international position in the face of China's rising power. The author discusses its gross domestic product (PIB) from 1993 to 2010, the consequences of the nuclear power plant accident in Fukushima, Japan, on March 11, 2011, and its growing nationalist movement as a response to globalization. The influence of the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) and the five challenges Japan needs to surmount to overcome these crises are also discussed.