National / History | THE LIVING PAST Dec 14, 2019
Poetic escapism for the end of the year
by Michael Hoffman
If the year-end seems less festive than foreboding, escape through the poems of the "Koshinsu," Japan's earliest poetic anthologies.
Books Jul 27, 2019
'China and Japan': Facing off across the aeons, two giants of East Asia
by Nicolas Gattig
Ezra Vogel's "China and Japan" is a timely reminder of how public perceptions are shaped by political expediency, how new leaders and propaganda can efface existing goodwill.
National / History | THE LIVING PAST Apr 20, 2019
Emperor Go-Daigo: The pride before a fall
by Michael Hoffman
The anonymous 14th-century chronicle "Masukagami" ("The Clear Mirror," translated by George Perkins), dramatically details the trials and errors of Emperor Go-Daigo, the 96th emperor of Japan.
Books Feb 16, 2019
'Japan Story': History enlivened at every turn with flashes of wit
by Damian Flanagan
Christopher Harding's comprehensive "Japan Story" is an ultra-progressive account of modern Japanese history, ushering the often-ignored maverick women, socialist thinkers and doubters of the state version of modernity to the front.
Books / Reviews | ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES Nov 24, 2018
by Robert P. Largess
"Clouds Above the Hill" portrays, in rich detail, the first generation to grow up in the Meiji Era and culminates in Japan's surprising victory in the Russo-Japanese War.
Commentary / Japan | japan since the Meiji Restoration Nov 13, 2018
Meiji 150 as the end of an era
by Yuichi Hosoya
When Japan was a young nation-state 150 years ago, its leaders charted a course through trial and error. Now we are in need of a new vision, identity and strategy for the next 150 years.
Commentary / Japan Oct 29, 2018
Mass media and democracy in prewar and postwar Japan
by Kazuo Komiya
Now, more than ever, the free press must avoid the perils of populist pandering and fulfill its responsibility as one of the key pillars of democracy.
Editorials Oct 23, 2018
The process of the Meiji Restoration looks all the more relevant at a time when Japan is facing an uncertain and uncharted future.
National / History | THE LIVING PAST Sep 15, 2018
The long struggle to become international
by Michael Hoffman
Eighth-century Japan was an infant civilization. Its prehistory had been long. Awakened at last, Japan drank eagerly from the source: China, then at its creative peak.
Books / Reviews | ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES Dec 2, 2017
'A Brief History of Japan': Jonathan Clements guides readers from ancient lore to otaku obsessions
by Steve John Powell
Ask any Japanese high school student which is their most difficult subject, and chances are they'll answer Japanese History — a consequence of the endless litany of dates, names and battles they need to memorize. Pity then, that they don't use this little book ...
Travel Mar 19, 2016
Battle of Sekigahara: a war set in stone
by Stephen Mansfield
The open valley basins of Gifu Prefecture at the very center of Honshu, where the town of Sekigahara lies, were easily co-opted as theaters of war. It's no coincidence, given the martial history of the region, that the town of Seki was once known ...
Commentary / Japan Aug 17, 2015
Abe's unconvincing attempt to whitewash Japan's history
by Hugh Cortazzi
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's WWII anniversary statement glosses over unpalatable facts and attempts to interpret them in a favorable way for Japan.