Madam Butterfly and the Forging of Japanese Identity
Puccini’s opera revealed misunderstandings and stereotypes on both sides of the East-West divide.
Japan
The Unravelling of Sino-Japanese Relations
The story of China and Japan, and the periodic efforts to find a modus vivendi.
Travels Through Time #14 – Commodore Perry’s Expedition to Japan, 1853
This episode takes us back to 1853 and the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry’s fleet of ships into Edo Bay.
Why Japan Stopped Fighting
After a disastrous Second World War, Japan abolished its armed forces and embraced pacifism. With renewed tensions in East Asia, can it last?
The Rise of Japan
When it comes to rapid world-changing events, the Meiji Restoration has few equals.
The First Japanese Man in America
A teenager shipwrecked on a Pacific atoll helped transform relations between Japan and the United States.
The Map: Kyoto, c.1626
A map of the Japanese city from the Edo period was one of the earliest produced for general use.
Everyday Life in Japan's Colonies
Japan’s vast Asian empire became home to more than a million female settlers, who told their stories in an effort to keep in contact.
Portrait of the Author as a Historian: Yukio Mishima
Angered by his native country’s rush towards western-style modernisation, the acclaimed Japanese author committed a shocking act of protest.
Japan’s Charles Dickens
The visit of Natsume Sōseki to London at the turn of the 20th century suggested ways of successfully combining western industrialism with ‘Japanese Spirit’.