‘Judgement at Tokyo’ by Gary J. Bass review
Pacy and even-handed, Judgement at Tokyo: World War II on Trial and the Making of Modern Asia by Gary J. Bass is unlikely to be bettered as a portrait of the Tokyo trials.
Japan
Christianity’s Bloody History in Japan
Japan has had a vexed relationship with Jesus ever since European missionaries arrived on its shores. Banned until 1873, successive leaders have asked whether love of the ‘two Js’ is compatible.
Empire in the Everyday
The everyday concerns of two Korean farmers are a microcosm of the huge changes their country underwent in the early 20th century.
Chadō
The ‘way of tea’ is a ritual experience that embodies the natural world with all its imperfections.
A Shared Culture
How a German colony laid the groundwork for the alliance between Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.
Uncomfortable History
Japan’s responsibility for ‘comfort women’ is avoided by the state and written out of national histories. Activists are working to make Japan confront its past.
Madam Butterfly and the Forging of Japanese Identity
Puccini’s opera revealed misunderstandings and stereotypes on both sides of the East-West divide.
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?