For citation:
Udalov, I. D., & Tolkachev, S. A. (2026). Japanese Marxism on the Stages of Capitalist Development. AlterEconomics, 23(2), 251–271. https://doi.org/10.31063/AlterEconomics/2026.23-2.1
Abstract:
This paper reviews the principal theoretical contributions of two Japanese Marxist schools in the context of the current crisis of economic mainstream thought. The study describes and systematizes their positions on the reorganization of capitalism and the laws governing its development, focusing on Kozo Uno’s stage theory and Hiroshi Onishi’s theory of the “end of capitalism.” The analysis applies historical materialism as its primary method, consistent with the theoretical foundations of both schools. The paper outlines the core tenets of each school, examines their accounts of capitalism’s historical trajectory and prospects, and compares them with other Marxist traditions. The findings show that, despite certain inconsistencies in Uno’s original theses relative to the current state of capitalist development, his followers are actively reformulating the concept. Both schools share the view that capitalism is a historically bounded phenomenon that has entered a phase of decline. Uno’s school, however, is undergoing methodological rethinking aimed at resolving the limitations of stage theory. There are certain parallels between Japanese Marxist concepts and those of I. Wallerstein, A. V. Buzgalin, and A. I. Kolganov, though these reflect a shared problematic rather than methodological convergence.
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