More so than many cultures, Japan is bound by tradition, yet its people create and embrace innovative technologies. Hosted by Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jane Seymour, this is the last volume in a four-part PBS documentary series that seeks to explain modern Japan and predict its future by referring to the nation's history and ancient culture. This fourth episode reviews theories about what led to the geographically small nation of Japan becoming so powerful and aggressive that it took on the world during the bloody years of World War II. Seymour also reviews the postwar changes decreed for Japan by the United States and how those changes stimulated a renewal of Japan's economic clout. ~ Steve Blackburn, Rovi