Abstract. The cycle of publications on trends and prospects of major world nations is continued by a piece on Japan prepared at a workshop of the Center of social-economic and social-political studies at IMEMO RAN. Doctor D. Streltsov (MGIMO-University, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) spoke on the subject of the party-political system evolution in Japan as well as on the prospects of the social security system reforming. S. Chugrov, editor-in-chief of the "Polis" magazine, focused on tendencies and expectations of the Japanese society, particularly in regard to territorial disputes and historical memory. That issue was also at the center of the presentation of Professor N. Simotaman from Hosey University, Tokyo, while E. Leontieva of IMEMO dealt with new trends in Japan’s economic development, especially the “abenomics”.