Rising Sun

by Michael Crichton

In a novel set within the arena of volatile Japanese-American relations, business moguls compete for control of the international electronics industry.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Crime, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Japan

399 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 27, 1992

About the author

John Michael Crichton was an American author, screenwriter, and filmmaker whose prolific career left an indelible mark on popular culture and speculative fiction. Raised on Long Island, he displayed a precocious talent for writing, publishing an article in The New York Times at sixteen. Initially enrolling at Harvard as an English major, he switched to biological anthropology after discovering a preference for scientific study over literature. He graduated summa cum laude and received a fellowship to lecture in anthropology at Cambridge. Later attending Harvard Medical School, he earned his MD but chose not to practice, dedicating himself to writing instead. His medical background profoundly influenced his novels, providing authentic scientific and technical underpinnings that became a hallmark of his work. Crichton began writing under pseudonyms, producing suspenseful thrillers as John Lange, including Odds On, Scratch One, and Easy Go, and as Jeffrey Hudson with A Case of Need, earning him an Edgar Award. His first major success under his own name, The Andromeda Strain, established his signature blend of scientific authenticity, tension, and exploration of technological hazards, leading to its film adaptation. Over his career, he wrote 25 novels, including The Terminal Man, The Great Train Robbery, Congo, Sphere, Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, Disclosure, The Lost World, Airframe, Timeline, Prey, State of Fear, and Next, several adapted into major films, with four additional works published posthumously. Crichton also made significant contributions to film and television. He wrote and directed Westworld, pioneering the use of 2D computer-generated imagery, and later directed Coma, The First Great Train Robbery, Looker, and Runaway. He created the influential medical drama ER, which he executive produced and developed with Steven Spielberg, achieving critical and commercial success. Many of his novels, most famously Jurassic Park and its sequel The Lost World, became cultural phenomena, combining imaginative adventure with grounded scientific speculation, often exploring humanity’s overreach in genetics, biotechnology, and complex systems. His literary style was notable for integrating meticulous scientific detail, suspense, and moral cautionary themes. His works frequently addressed the failure of complex systems—biological, technological, or organizational—demonstrating the unpredictable consequences of human hubris. Employing techniques such as first-person narratives, false documents, fictionalized scientific reports, and assembling expert teams to tackle crises, Crichton created immersive stories appealing to both popular and scholarly audiences. His exploration of genetics, paleontology, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence revealed both fascination and caution about humanity’s technological ambitions, while his early non-fiction, such as Five Patients and Electronic Life, reflected his scientific insight and forward-thinking approach to computers and programming. Standing 6 feet 9 inches tall, Crichton experienced social isolation in adolescence and later pursued meditation and consultations with psychics, cultivating a lifelong interest in human consciousness and alternative experiences. A workaholic, he approached writing with disciplined ritualistic methodology, often retreating entirely to complete a novel in six or seven weeks. He was married five times, fathered two children, and maintained a wide-ranging collection of 20th-century American art. Crichton engaged in political and scientific discourse, particularly regarding global warming, where he was an outspoken skeptic and testified before the U.S. Senate. He contributed significantly to the discussion of intellectual property, technology, and environmental policy, coining concepts such as the Gell-Mann amnesia effect. Throughout his life, he received numerous awards, including Edgar Awards, a Peabody Award for ER, an Aca

Reviews

[Orsodimondo · Rating 4 out of 5]

BUDDY-SAN


I due protagonisti: il mediocre Wesley Snipes e l'indimenticabile Sean Connery.

Il romanzo fu pubblicato nel 1992. A quell’epoca gli americani rappresentavano il quattro per cento della popolazione mondiale, e il diciotto per cento dell’economia mondiale: ma in tema di avvocati ne avevano ben il cinquanta per cento. Settecentocinquantamila avvocati che in qualche modo dovevano guadagnare ciascuno almeno trecentomila dollari l’anno.
Se a quell’epoca, come sostiene Crichton - ed è per questo che ha scritto Sol Levante– il Giappone aveva economicamente superato gli US, viene da immaginare che le due nazioni insieme avessero più o meno almeno il 40% dell’economia mondiale. Wow.
Chissà se Crichton avrebbe scritto qualcosa sulla Cina. Io penso di sì.
E chissà se avrebbe aggiunto qualcosa sul fatto che il Giappone ha nel frattempo fatto qualche passo indietro.


La vittima

La tesi di Crichton è che gli investimenti diretti di capitali stranieri nelle industrie americane a più elevato livello tecnologico non sia per definizione positivo, e che quindi limitarlo o regolamentarlo non sarebbe sbagliato.
Che il Giappone si stia impadronendo degli Stati Uniti, al contempo rafforzando la sua posizione internazionale, dovrebbe essere secondo la teoria di Crichton, responsabilità primaria delle due presidenze Reagan e dell’unica di Bush padre, quando il libero mercato fu considerato la divinità da onorare.


Il sospettato numero 1.

Per spiegare il suo punto di vista sull’argomento e sostenerlo scrive quattrocento pagine che si leggono una-tira-l’altra, un thriller meno scientifico di altre volte, più economico (ma se serve, come nella scena dell’autopsia, le sue conoscenze mediche tornano quanto mai utile e incisive), dove il morto è uno solo, di sesso femminile: poi c’è un altro morto, ma accidentale. Poi…
Ma, tutta la storia che conta ruota intorno a scoprire come è morta e perché e chi ha ucciso la bella ragazza sul grande tavolo della sala riunioni.


Harvey Keitel è il poliziotto rozzo e razzista.

Morte che viene segnalata a pagina uno con una telefonata alle otto e mezzo di sera: da lì in avanti Crichton è molto attento all’orologio, lo fa progredire con grande cura fermandolo meno di 72 ore dopo.
La ragazza muore, o viene uccisa – la seconda ipotesi è senz’altro più probabile sin dal principio – al quarantaseiesimo piano di un grattacielo di novanta, mentre al piano di sotto è in corso la festa d’inaugurazione del nuovo skyscraper. Tutto giapponese: addirittura si favoleggia che sia stato prefabbricato in Giappone, trasportandolo a blocchi da assemblare direttamente a Los Angeles.
Alla festa è presente Madonna, il sindaco della città, Tom Cruise con la sua “moglie australiana”, Chuck Norris, il sindaco di L.A., un paio di senatori, qualche deputato.


Tia Carrere è l’esperta di videotecnologia.

In coda Crichton ci regala quattro pagine di bibliografia, fatto alquanto insolito in questo genere di letteratura. E le circa quattrocento pagine sono impreziosite dalla sua eccellente conoscenza della tecnologia video e dei sistemi di vigilanza, dell’epoca, ma con uno sguardo al futuro.

Il film, sceneggiato dallo stesso romanziere, non regge il peso del racconto: si perde forse a causa di una regia non centrata (Philip Kaufman alternava film interessanti, come The Right Stuff – Uomini veri ad altri più incerti, come questo): ma forse la responsabilità maggiore del fallimento poggia sulle spalle di Wesley Snipes, attore sempre al di sotto della necessità.

[W · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book sat on my shelf for years.Whenever I tried to read it,I was put off by the strident anti-Japan tone.

At one level,this book is a murder mystery,and a thriller.If you just consider these elements,it's a pretty good book.It moves along at a brisk enough pace,it has plenty of dramatic tension.

A young girl is murdered in the American headquarters of a major Japanese corporation,and the way the investigation proceeds,makes for a gripping read.

But the trouble is,it isn't just a murder mystery or a thriller.It is Michael Crichton's no holds barred attack on Japan.Even for a neutral reader like me,finding this much fault with everything Japanese,felt distasteful.

I personally,find much to admire about Japan,but Crichton's only concession to Japan,is a few back handed compliments.

It has been a while since the publication of this book.Crichton's worst fears about Japan's economic takeover of America have not come true.For me,this book was such a mixed bag.I liked it as a thriller,but I didn't like its vicious tone.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

This 90s story begins strongly with good character development before diving down and meandering around how great the Japenese economy is. 1991-2001 is often referred to as Japan's, "lost decade," economically. So, not so fast the late Mr. Crichton. 3 of 10 stars

[Karl Marberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crichton puts forth a very interesting perspective on the economic relationship between Japan and the USA in this novel.

While informative, I feel that Crichton was at times overly pessimistic. He draws a picture of the Japanese annexing the American economy and Japan itself surpassing the US in every degree of first-world status (including GDP). And while he does raise some compelling points, I’m not sure how well the passage of time has supported his assertions. Crichton seemed fully confident in 1992 that the Japanese economy will soon and inevitably surpass that of the US. Well, here we are in 2018 and Japan’s GDP is still only a quarter of the United State’s. Also our debt to GDP ratio is around 1.2 while Japan’s is at a monstrous 2.6.

Crichton may have been slightly out of bounds with the doom and gloom in this novel. I’ll give it three stars because I enjoyed Crichton’s cogent and thought-provoking argument.

[Gil Smolinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read, I get why people call it controversial though. Full review: https://smolinskiblog.co/2019/07/22/m...

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before approaching any book, it occurs to me that the reader should attempt to know the writer: his or her predispositions – in order to more thoroughly get a point of view that may or may not be present in the work one has read. It is obvious that Crichton had some very real concerns about Japanese interests in American technologies as a constant threat. He voices those concerns in the forward of this book, so he is not disguising it. Most of those concerns IMHO have been proven unfounded, so if one is looking for a broad sweeping interpretation of Crichton’s opinion on the subject, please look elsewhere because I review this book solely by its own merits, my opinion, and my enjoyment of the work. Crichton was a huge researcher of his subjects and clearly throughout Rising Sun, it is evident that he uses his characters to convey that information through character exposition. Characterization is strong. The plot flows at a rapid pace. The police procedural aspect is consistent with what the novice would expect and sufficiently unique to be a fascinating read. I really liked it and according to my Grey Geek scale: 4 Grey Geeks.

[Syndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I read this book on 2010 and until now its still my favorite. This books is telling us a story how contrast it is American culture and Japanese culture. American is much more brass and outspoken. Japanese is much more secluded and honoring seniority. I love how the author narrates the story and focusing on the culture contrast.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 80s the big American fear, especially in California, was that the Japanese businesses were going to take over. Strangely, the fact that the Dutch and British had more holdings than the Japanese never mattered.

That said, Japanese conspiracies were popular and this was one of the better ones, which also allowed us to perceive the Japanese manner of thinking.

BTW, this book was better than the movie. Overally, a very good read but not great.

For those who didn't see the movie a pair of American investigators are called in to investigate a murder connected with Japanese business. One of the investigators is very much "pro Japanese" and the other could care less. It's something of a Historical piece now but back in the 80s I'm sure some people felt the Japanese were going to get their revenge for WWII and buy America out.

OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read right after Tai-Pan given that both books explore the business relationship between an Asian nation and a Western one. In this case, though, the Author came to the story with a very definitive message to get across. Namely that America as a whole (industry, government, society) had to stop generally sucking because Japan was kicking our asses in every way imaginable.

Now that might seem a bit strange from a contemporary reader's perspective, but you need to remember when this book was written in the late eighties the Japanese were very much an economic powerhouse, growing to be one of the largest economies in the world and far surpassing many western companies in efficiency, technology, and quality. Heck, there was even a pretty popular movie about the Japanese buying an American car company and instituting a bunch of changes to the process that was not well received by the American workers who were portrayed as lazy, inefficient, and generally worse than their Japanese counterparts. Naturally this movie was a comedy.

This is all to say that the zeitgeist of America at the time was one which viewed Japan as an ascending, threatening economic power. There was certainly plenty of anti-Japanese sentiment in the US due to the loss of jobs and market share at the hands of Japanese competition. Competition that had some serious government protections in their own home markets that prevented American firms from gaining a foothold. For the 1980's Japan was on top of the world. Heck, they even bought Rockefeller Center.

Then the Lost Decade(s) happened and Japan has yet to recover.

So if you do decided to give this book a shot be warned it will feel very dated with the sinister Japanese forces lurking in the background, pulling the economic and political strings that seek to thwart the hero detectives.

Because as much as Crichton uses this story as a soapbox for his public policy prescriptions (and while he does provide the proverbial receipts in the form of an extensive bibliography of economics papers and reports) there is still a murder mystery to be solved. Said investigation brings the reader through all sorts of facets of alleged Japanese business culture and society as well as the depth of their influence in American society. But, at its heart, it is still an interesting and compelling mystery with an almost Holmes-Watson vibe going on between the two detectives leading the investigation.

So if you can wade through some late 80's/early 90's Japanese paranoia (which, if nothing else, is a fascinating look at the American psyche from that time period) you will find a pretty solid story and mystery.

[Peter Monn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great thriller! Check out my full review on my booktube channel http://youtube.com/peterlikesbooks

[Supratim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I have read only a couple of Michael Crichton's books, I am fan of his writing. His The Andromeda Strain and Sphere were highly enjoyable. So, with a lot of expectations I started with this book.

From the blurb, I could gather that it is a murder mystery centered on corporate espionage. The body of a young beautiful woman has been discovered in the forty-fifth floor of the Nakamoto Tower - a mighty Japanese conglomerate, in Los Angeles. This was during a party, attended by celebrities, senators - the usual who’s who.

The start of the story was excellent. It starts with two detectives from the Internal Affairs Division interrogating Lt. Pete J. Smith, of the Special Services Division of LAPD, who was involved in and ultimately solved the murder. I thought that something terrible is going to happen and my curiosity was piqued. In his investigation, Smith was helped by Capt. Connor – a man who has extensive knowledge of the Japanese people and some pretty useful Japanese contacts as well.

This book is not just a murder mystery written to entertain the readers – the author is actually trying to impress upon the readers, what he thinks is the harsh reality of “Japan’s economic behavior, and America’s inadequate response to it”.

Throughout the book, the author keeps emphasizing how the Japanese are taking over America as in Japan has launched an “economic conquest” of the country. Mostly through Connor and a few other characters, Crichton strives to show the fundamental difference in mind set between the Japanese and the Americans. Connor, who has spent some years in Japan keeps educating Smith about the Japanese way of doing business - their way of keeping American companies out of the Japanese market while at the same time they are acquiring important tech companies & land in the U.S., they have bought control over many American universities, the Japanese spend millions on lobbyists and politicians, have reporters in their pay roll and even bought influence in the police forces. Anyone who tries to come in their way are branded as racists and the Japanese don’t hesitate to destroy the reputation of the their detractors by setting off their pet journalists on them and in cases might send armed thugs who are of course Japanese. The Japanese motto of “Business is war” is not only mentioned a lot of times but demonstrated throughout the story.

It’s not just business, but according to Crichton the Japanese are a racist people who always look down upon other non-Japanese people. Connor says “ In many ways, the Japanese are wonderful people. They are hardworking, intelligent, humorous. They had real integrity. They are also the most racist people on the planet. That’s why they’re always accusing everybody else of racism……”

Crichton vents his disappointment at the indifference of the American public -- " In no other country in the world would you hear people calmly discussing the fact that their cities and states were sold to foreigners."

In the afterword, the author again reiterates the “adversarial trade” practices of Japan and reminds the reader that Japan is a competitor to America.

Honestly speaking, I do not have any knowledge of Japanese trade practices in America in the 80’s and early 90’s – I would not comment on it. I felt his sermonizing took the thrust out of the mystery story and at times the lessons about cultural differences became tedious. To give the author his due, he did do a lot of research – at least the long list of books in the bibliography gives the impression. I felt that the author should have been subtle about his beliefs. May be Crichton thought that a subtle approach would not be sufficient to get his views across to the masses – I don’t know. I have mixed feelings about the book – the sermonizing was a bit too much but the element of suspense was definitely there.

As for recommending this book – I have tried to give an honest review, it’s for you to decide.

[Ethan · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Well, the job was all right. It was fine."
"Then what was it?"
He shook his head. "Most people who've lived in Japan come away with fixed feelings. In many ways, the Japanese are wonderful people. They're hardworking, intelligent, and humorous. They have real integrity. They are also the most racist people on the planet. That's why they're always accusing everybody else of racism. They're so prejudiced, they assume everybody else must be, too."

Rising Sun follows a mysterious, wannabe-Japanese, know-it-all, washed-up former detective named John Connor, as he is called out of retirement to help solve the murder of a prostitute named Cheryl Austin that has taken place in the conference room of the Nakamoto Corporation's new building in Los Angeles. Nakamoto is a Japanese company doing business in America, and looking to expand their American footprint, so naturally there is tension and interference between the Americans and Japanese regarding the case. Connor is to act as an expert, and partners up with a flaccid, lifeless active duty Special Services detective in the LAPD, Lieutenant Peter Smith, in the hopes of solving the crime.

I'll be blunt: I hated this book. Every single character in this book is really just a megaphone for Crichton's bizarre anti-Japanese sentiments and theories on how Japan is slowly taking over every aspect of American society: the tech industry, consumer goods, the education system, even the government. Characters go on these long megaphone rants that don't even remotely resemble real human conversation, where they just babble on for literally pages at a time, info dumping endlessly about Japan and how it's taking over American corporations with its aggressive and illegal business practices. These strange fears about Japan taking over America obviously never became a reality, making the book look even worse in hindsight.

Crichton repeatedly moves the story along by interrupting these long, boring character monologues with various phones ringing, either a car phone or a landline. This must have happened at least twenty times in this book. It's pretty sad when a book is so boring that the only thing you can do to progress the story is to make the phone ring and briefly intrigue the reader with the mysterious identity of the caller, and what they're calling about.

In one sequence, Smith and Connor are driving along in a car, and Connor gets a call on the car phone. The conversation plays out, and he hangs up. Then, Smith gets a call right after! And neither call was even remotely interesting. Connor's was a call from a country club about a membership, and Smith's was his realtor calling to see if he wanted to go look at a house on Saturday. The constant phone calls is a poor plot device that is used way too many times throughout this book as a mechanism to keep the story moving, which it didn't even do very well, the calls being as boring as they were.

There are times when Crichton actually does something exciting in this otherwise incredibly boring book, but these moments are always agonizingly short. Like a car chase scene that I think lasted one or two pages, and then it was over like it never even happened. And near the very end of the book, a shootout that lasted, I kid you not, a single paragraph on page 360. Ugh...why?!?! For the love of God, Crichton, why? It was beyond frustrating. Like watching a movie on TV and the only good thing about it being the 30-second commercials you're forced to watch while you wait for the mediocre movie to come back on. Oy vey.

And the reason given at the end of the book for why the murderer killed the girl is so incredibly stupid and unbelievable that it would be laughable if it wasn't so sad. I mean, you read a 400-page book and that's the reasoning you get? The fate of the murderer at the end is equally disappointing, and kind of infuriating. I felt like I'd been cheated, my time deliberately wasted. The entire ending of this book was so incredibly unfulfilling, and powerfully lame.

And I can't conclude my review without addressing the controversial nature of this book, mainly that critics have accused it of being racist against Japanese people. Crichton tried to defend the book, saying he's harder on America in the book than he is on the Japanese. While he certainly insults America a lot in this book, and points out how Japan is superior in every conceivable way, mostly through the rantings of megaphone character John Connor, he does insult Japan greatly in this book, and the things he accuses Japan of are far more serious than the innocuous insults he throws at America, like that its police are inept and that it isn't as successful economically.

Accusing a country, as Crichton does of Japan, of aggressively and illegally trying to take over basically your entire country, and calling them "the most racist people on the planet" (a phrase Connor actually says multiple times throughout the book), is quite a bit more serious. So in my opinion, having actually read this book, it is definitely racist against the Japanese people.

Insulting to both Americans and Japanese alike, Rising Sun is a grave misfire from a great author, and never should have been published. It's a 400-page medium for Michael Crichton to go on a xenophobic rant about his bizarre fears that Japan would take over America, thinly wrapped in the most dull, uninteresting, uninvolving, by the numbers murder mystery you are ever likely to read, and with an ending so bad it still somehow manages to ruin the rest of the book, which wasn't great to begin with.

Only recommended for the most die-hard Michael Crichton fans. I wish I could have been more positive in this review, because I love Michael Crichton, and consider him one of the greatest authors I've come across to date, but this is easily the worst book of his that I've read, and there just isn't much to like here. This was a slog in the worst possible way and is a complete failure, both as a murder-mystery story and as an attempt to convey a broader message. A very disappointing read.

1.5 stars

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 3 out of 5]

After two duds in a row I felt like something snappy and Michael Crichton will certainly deliver snappy.

If I had ever read this book before, it was at least 8 to 10 years ago but I kept thinking how familiar the story was, and after just a few pages it dawned on me that I had watched the movie a gazillion times. As soon as I made that connection (how could I have forgotten?!) I saw the movie in my head as I read the book. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it meant I already knew whodunnit, why they dunnit, and what happened after they dunnit, so reading was a little bit more of a simple tidy-up than would have been the case otherwise.

I didn't let my advance knowledge keep me from enjoying this fast and furious mystery, though. I actually liked the visions of Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes dancing snappily in my head as they rushed around trying to catch up to the killer. They always seemed to be just a few minutes too late,
whichever way they turned.

I did wonder if America was ever as scared of the Japanese as the author seemed to feel, and sometimes the fear seemed blown way out of proportion, but I liked the book almost as much as I liked the movie.

(And I am only putting it on my dar shelf to give away because I don't think I could manage another reading, Connery and Snipes in my head or not.)

One more title to review and I will be caught up with the reading I have done since Nov 13th. Whew!

[Eddie Owens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Crichton is a very interesting writer. He takes a subject that he is interested in, researches it fully and then crafts a story around the research.

The blurb for "Rising Sun" describes it as a business thriller. There aren't actually any thrills in it, but it is very interesting, as a description of how Japanese big business is buying corporate America.

I enjoy learning stuff while I'm reading, but if you just wanted a thriller, this might not be for you.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 to 4.5 stars. My favorite Michael Crichton novel. I remember reading this book when it first came out and thinking is was a terrific read. I plan to re-read it at some point to see if it has aged well.

[Mahlon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rising Sun feels a bit dated now that Japan has experienced it's "Lost Decade" and China has become a dominant economic power, but it's still a well-written and engaging thriller. It kind of loses steam after the car chase with Eddie, if the reader is not careful they will be dragged into a morass of technical information about various forms of video tape and how they can be altered, even though these details are semi important to the plot this section could've been cut way down in my opinion, but if you can avoid getting bogged down it really picks up at the end. The eventual culprit was pretty easy to guess but you'll enjoy the way Crichton gets there. A good reminder for readers like me that he wrote more than creature features.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can you say 'arigatou gozaimasu'......Mr. Chricton for a whirlwind lesson in Japaneeeseeee. I can almost speak the language now...wow. One should receive college credit or at the very least a full c.e.u. for completing this novel. Seriously, I feel like I spent three weeks on 'Shogun'. In any event, a very eventful and satisfying read (listen in my case). When someone suggests you lay off the bigger than life, too good to be true Japanese business deal, believe it! Sayounara tomodachi.
Even better the second time around.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a crime/mystery/detection story integrated within a time where the United States and Japan were involved in technological industry wars so as to take a lead against each other. Although the story itself was decent, reading the information penned by the author with regard to the American attitudes towards the Japanese way of making business and vice-versa, at the time, along with their prejudices and understandings was very interesting to read, and which is based on thorough research. Other than that nothing great here.

[Laura Grable · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoy how Michael Crichton can keep me glued to the page with plot twists and fast pacing, but I really hate when he gets too preachy. I think that is his biggest weakness as a writer. All of his books have some kind of lesson to be learned, typically it's the dangers of fast-growing technology, but his best novels show the reader why this is a problem instead of insistently telling us. For example, in Jurassic Park we didn't need a lecture on the dangers of playing God and giving life to an extinct species, the dinosaurs pretty much took care of that. So, due to his constant rants about the Japanese taking over America, I must give this book two stars, even though I found the murder mystery to be suspenseful and interesting.

The funny thing is that his fears about the American economy aren't entirely unfounded. I think the Japanese taking over must be an out-dated fear, because I have never heard such fears, but he does make good points about our economy going too far into debt and other countries passing us in education and industry. However, his characterizations of the Japanese seem very harsh. No matter how many times the characters insist that they aren't judging the Japanese culture, it sure seems like they are vilifying them. All this distracts from the murder case, which is pretty compelling. Overall, even though I couldn't put this book down because I wanted to know the identity of the murderer, it left a bad taste in my mouth and, as a book by Crichton, comes off as pretty forgettable.

[Desiree Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Crichton. Smart, fast-paced, impeccably researched. The thing about a Crichton novel is you can't help but learn a lit while also being thoroughly entertained.

This one has it all: A murder mystery, political intrigue, a race to solve the crime.

Seems a little weird at first, with a current reading, as Japan is no longer the powerhouse of economy that it was the the '80's and '90's. But the foreign relations concepts are still quite valid.

Don't miss the teeny note in the front papers that notes, amazingly, how much of the background facts in the tale are true. An extensive bibliography completes the back.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is now 25 years old, and while it holds up as a murder mystery the politics of it are a bit outdated. The late Michael Crichton wrote the book as the personal computer industry was in flux. Much of the industry was starting to be transferred to Asian markets. In addition, the US was facing increasing trade deficits with Japan, the auto industry was in trouble, almost all televisions were being built there as well.

In the quarter century since then the trade deficit has shifted to China and South Korea, US industrialists moved their own factories to Asia for the cheap labor, and once again we're faced with having a major trading partner in which leaders and consumers think in fundamentally different ways than Americans. As for Japan, they went through a major recession from which they still haven't fully recovered after several years.

When this was written there was quite a bit of general irritation directed at Japan. Crichton picked up on this irritation and, in more than a few ways, directed it out to the Japanese people themselves while still expressing envy about their culture.

The central story of the book is a murder mystery. The book is set in Los Angeles and during the opening of a new Japanese-owned corporate building a young white woman is found dead in a conference room in one of the upper floors. The Japanese managers refuse to allow the investigation to continue until they have a liaison officer (Lt. Peter Smith) who is encouraged to pick up a more experience former officer on the way to the scene named John Connor. Connor has lived in Japan and is fluent in the language. It's through his eyes that the Japanese culture is revealed, both good and bad. Connor frequently expresses envy for the cohesiveness of the Japanese while calling them the most racist nation on earth. Their business foresight is lauded while they're cursed for creating a market closed to American goods while dumping Japanese goods in the American market for cheaper than Tokyo prices.  Meanwhile, note the several times that the two investigators hit potholes as they drive around Los Angeles, the clear implication being that such things would never be allowed in Japan.

This split attitude runs through the entire book as the two work together to unravel the mystery while navigating the layers of Japan-born executives of the company that owns the building.

The mystery holds up, though much of it revolves around the search for original tapes of the crime and some technology that now seems commonplace. The ongoing lessons from John Connor on Japanese business practices and culture are interesting even if some of the interpretations are over the top.

Crichton tends to blame regulation, which would seem to have much less influence than poor trade negotiations, but Crichton was more than a little conservative so it's no surprise where his focus would be. In the years since the book was written the World Trade Organization (WTO) stepped in a few times to sanction Japan for dumping computer chips in the US market, meanwhile US corporations seem to be determined to continue a downward spiral of underpaying workers, overpaying executives, sending manufacturing to Asia, and then wondering why the American consumer can't afford their products. In those ways not much has changed over a quarter century.

[Kevin Lake · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Rising Sun" is Micheal Crichton at his best. All the reasons he is one of my favorite authors are found in this book. He writes honestly, not politically correctly. The cold hard facts he states, through the eyes and ears and mouths of his characters, about the Japanese and their business practices and America's inability to respond to either, mostly out of ignorance, innefeciency, and a desire to, at whatever cost, not come across as offensive or racist, is spot on. I live in Asia full time (the Philippines) and have been to Japan, and China and South Korea and have experienced racism, as a white man, that is not only accepted in Asian culture, but practiced by the masses, and taught to children openly by parents and educators. Practices and behaviors that, thank God, are not accepted or tolerated in the west, and Crichton is NOT afraid to write about that issue and call a spade a mother lovin' spade.
And that style of writing is so refreshing to me.
I also enjoy how he wraps fact with fiction in his work, as he does in this one, so not only do you get one hell of an exciting ride with the story line, but you learn so many facts, some of which are not always comfortable (like America represents 4% of the earth's surface population, has 18% of the world economy, yet has 50% of the world's lawyers due to our legal frivolity).
This book ranks as a close second as my favorite Crichton work, first being "State of Fear."

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book with an interesting premise, although a bit outdated now, but good nonetheless.

A Japanese company in LA is celebrating it's grand opening, when on the 46th floor, in one of the conference rooms, the body of a young woman is discovered. 2 LAPD Detectives are called in to investigate the murder, going through the surveillance systems, but still can't identify the killer, their only clue is he is Japanese. Detectives Peter Smith and John Connor soon realize that they're investigating not only a murder, but a web of lies and cover-up within the Japanese company itself.

Michael Crichton once again delivers in this intense murder/mystery, and also the realism of the belief of Japan taking over Amercian industries and it's economy, and that's where I said the story itself it outdated.

[Danm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid read. Good, not great, but better than most. Not my favorite Chrichton book, but better than most I've read. Am I being repetitious?

It's a unique detective story. While Japan isn't anywhere near the economic threat to the United States like it was in the past (that title now belongs to global debt levels), this was still an interesting read. While the story was good, the real value here is a look inside the Japanese culture. Reading is fun, but it's even better when you learn something about the world.

Recommended as much for the education of a foreign culture as the entertainment.

[Tannaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!!!!!

[Gorab · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than a thriller, this has tremendous insights on Japanese culture. Especially on the way corporates work in Japan versus the way they work in America.
There are a lot of controversial narration regarding the relations between Japan and America.

Enjoyed it to such an extent that the murder mystery and crime investigations felt like a deviation :)

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

When losing out economically to a capitalist Japan briefly surpassed egalitarianism as the American donor class’ worst nightmare.

*Vile language and sarcasm warning*

I lived in Japan, for the first time, from March 2, 1992 to late February 1994. This book was published in late January 1992, while I was in a full-immersion program in preparation for Japan and had no awareness of the outside world.

I later heard during those two years from letters from a friend, who had been THE girlfriend at the beginning of the stint, that a wave of anti-Japanese sentiment was washing over many Americans. I never really knew what she was talking about until I, much later, began sampling US entertainment produced in 1992-93. Stuff I had blissfully missed while utterly cut off from U.S. "culture."

I highly recommend the experience of a long and consistent avoidance of all advertising, news, movies, television, internet, pods, and popular books. It will give you space to find yourself.

This book is part of Exhibit A, demonstration that actual hate, based only on a person’s appearance or culture or nationality or skin tone or the shape of various facial features, is real.

I suppose it's a sign of my naivete that I was shocked to realise that this kind of thing was highly popular and “normal” at some point in my lifetime, even in my adulthood. It’s still with us, of course, but Japan has long since ceased to be an important target. Or maybe just within my little society.

Crichton, tapping into the frustration of the white working class, portrays the Japanese characters in the novel as weasel-like sneaks, liars, hypocrites, killers, ruthless capitalists, gangsters running amok killing anyone they like in Los Angeles, parasites, bandits, and wasabi-covered penis eaters. This pejorative representation is justified by the same vintage of the rationale used by the Founding Fathers of the U.S., the pre-1979 Mormon Church, and the Nazi's of the Third Reich: a Japanese person is not fully human.

“Well, the Japanese never accepted Freud or Christianity” is Crichton's evidence in this argument. "We shouldn't even expect them to have a consistent sense of “right” and “wrong”."

Rising Sun just may be the worst thing I've ever read.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listening to Michael Crichton -- at least judging by this one outing -- is very different than reading Michael Crichton.

I know, I know, listening to anything is different than reading, but I was shocked to discover how much lecturing Crichton does in his books. It goes far beyond the usual exposition of tech and ideas one would expect from a Sci-Fi writer. His lectures are long, over-blown, bordering on excruciating, but I think the magic of the written words allows those moments to be glossed over. Put voice to them, however, and even with an excellent performance by MacLeod Andrews, they take on a pedantic flavour that sours the characterization of every minor character Smith and Connor come in contact with.

And then there is the xenophobia. Crichton's xenophobia towards the Japanese is so pressurized it blows the top off the thermometer and sends mercury spilling everywhere, and it makes some portions of the story nearly unreadable.

Even so, the murder mystery is surprisingly compelling, and John Connor, especially, is a character I want to spend as much time with as I can. Rising Sun is far from Crichton's best, and it could be close to his worst, but I still found myself plowing through the audiobook version at top speed. He may not have been the nicest cat or the coolest cat, but he sure coudl spin a yarn -- when he wasn't pontificating.

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

In the early to mid-1990's a wave of anti-Japan hysteria swept through some segments of the American population. I distinctly remember watching two newscasts from this time concerning Japan. One talked about people's fear of Japanese 'interests' buying up significant portions of the U.S. The other showed video clip of people venting their anger over Japanese imports by destroying a Toyota pickup with baseball bats and the reporter (off-screen) explaining that the truck was built in the U.S. at the time.

This book was written during this time period and I felt that Crichton was at best exploiting an irrational fear of some people that was also a 'hot topic' at the time. At worst, this book was racist towards Japanese. Not sure which it was, but was not impressed either way. The inclusion of certain sexual practices into the murder mystery did not help either.

[P. Lundburg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This seemed such a departure from what Michael Crichton normally writes about. It just seemed an odd genre for him to tap into, and I'm sorry to say, he didn't pull it off. If you're looking for a great Crichton book to read, move along to just about any of the others..... which, by the way, are plentiful. I'm am a fan of Crichton's for some books.