昭和时代(1926～1989年)
Showa period
日本历史时期，相当於裕仁（Hirohito）－－昭和的皇帝－－在位时期。昭和时代见证了1930年代日本灾难性地介入第二次世界大战的军国主义，结果则是国家的全面崩溃与最後的投降。战後是一个重建的时期，1956年加入联合国，1964年举办奥林匹克运动会，1970年的大阪世界博览会，标志着其重建的成功。日本经历过所谓的「经济奇蹟」，1955～1960年间平均成长率达到10%，其後的数年则更高。到了1980年代，日本已经成为世界最庞大也是最复杂的一个经济体，其国民所得甚至超越了美国。日本社会愈来愈都市化，到1980年代中期已有十分之一的人口居住在东京。美国对日本大众文化的影响非常强烈，日本的年轻人皆尽其可能的模仿美国的同伴。昭和时代同时也可看到更多的人以核心家庭、而非数代同堂的方式过活，更多的恋爱婚姻而非家庭安排，子女数减少，妇女也有更多的选择机会。亦请参阅Occupation (of Japan)。
English version：
1926～1989年
Showa period
Period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Hirohito, the Showa emperor. The Showa period saw the militarism of the 1930s and Japan's disastrous participation in World War II, resulting in the nation's complete collapse and ultimate surrender. The postwar era was one of rehabilitation, marked by such successes as its joining the UN in 1956, hosting the 1964 Olympics, and holding the Osaka World Exposition in 1970. Japan experienced a so-called “economic miracle,” with growth averaging 10% in 1955-60 and higher in the years following. In the 1980s, the Japanese economy became one of the world's largest and most sophisticated, with per capita income surpassing that of the U.S. Japanese society became increasingly urban, with one-tenth of the population living in Tokyo by the mid-1980s. U.S. influence on popular culture was very strong, and young Japanese emulated their U.S. counterparts in every way possible. The Showa period also saw more people living in nuclear families than in extended families, love marriages rather than arranged marriages, fewer children, and more opportunities for women. See also Heisei period, Occupation (of Japan).