Japanese history news, research and analysis - the conversation

August 8, 2024 Gwyn McClelland, _University of New England_ My research on Japan’s historically significant Gotō Islands – some of which include UNESCO Heritage-listed sites – provides a

rare look at the consequences of the ongoing population crisis. July 4, 2024 Ella Tennant, _Keele University_ Japan was once a matriarchal society where women ruled. Now they are barred from

sitting on the Chrysanthemum throne. March 21, 2024 Constantine Nomikos Vaporis, _University of Maryland, Baltimore County_ Compared to its 1980 predecessor, the new FX series presents a

more authentic portrayal of early modern Japan. March 1, 2024 Alessandro Poletto, _Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis_ In medieval Japan, healing might mean taking

medicine, undergoing an exorcism or sidestepping harm in the first place by avoiding inauspicious days. February 1, 2024 Jason Jones, _Monash University_ and Beatrice Trefalt, _Monash

University_ An homage to Honda Ishiro’s original 1954 film, the new hit Japanese film Godzilla Minus One centres on the human costs of war. December 5, 2023 Nana Sato-Rossberg, _SOAS,

University of London_ The exhibition showcases how nature coexists with Japan’s major cities. December 5, 2023 Ruth Starr, _Trinity College Dublin_ The series addresses the role of samurai,

what life was like for women and people of mixed heritage, and violence in Edo-period Japan, with varying degrees of accuracy. June 17, 2023 Sabine Frühstück, _University of California,

Santa Barbara_ Japan has a rich queer history and is seeing societal changes in favor of greater LGBTQ recognition. That said, national politicians have yet to catch up. March 16, 2023

Filippo Cervelli, _SOAS, University of London_ An uncompromising writer who wrote about the dark and light of postwar Japan July 11, 2022 Saori Shibata, _University of Sheffield_ Abe was

Japan’s longest-serving post-war PM. His legacy, while considerable, is mixed. March 17, 2022 Ella Tennant, _Keele University_ A mermaid with face of a monkey and body of fish has reignited

interest in the Japanese ningyo March 16, 2022 Alexander Titov, _Queen's University Belfast_ Putin is following a strategy used by other imperial countries, particularly 19th-century

China and Japan. September 24, 2021 Hansun Hsiung, _Durham University_ Despite its cutting-edge image, Japan has a soft spot for the decidedly 20th-century machines. August 5, 2021 Ella

Tennant, _Keele University_ There have been eight women who ruled as empress, but Japanese culture has always prioritised maleness. October 31, 2019 Larissa Hjorth, _RMIT University_ A new

exhibition surveys the haunting Japanese traditions and beliefs that connect the supernatural with the everyday. May 7, 2019 Ella Tennant, _Keele University_ History tells us there were

eight women who ruled as empresses of Japan, but since reforms of the constitution in 1947, only a man can inherit the throne. May 1, 2019 Constantine Nomikos Vaporis, _University of

Maryland, Baltimore County_ Japan’s 86-year-old Emperor Akihito abdicates on April 30 — an exceedingly rare event for this ancient monarchy. Can his son, Prince Naruhito, give Japan’s royal

family a modern makeover? April 4, 2019 Nicolas Tranter, _University of Sheffield_ The country has reached back more than a thousand years into its early literary heritage for an auspicious

name for a new era under a new emperor. June 26, 2018 Mai Sato, _University of Reading_ Iwao Hakamada was tried for quadruple murder in 1966, but the evidence that convicted him is regarded

with widespread scepticism. April 17, 2018 Emily Metzgar, _Indiana University_ US-Japan relations are under pressure. As leaders of the two countries meet this week, a scholar tells the

story of the exchange program that made such a difference to American attitudes toward Japan.