The Japan Society Review

By Shimada Soji A kind of MTV-esque ‘greatest hits’ melange of science-fiction tropes rendered into a bullet-like, postmodernist package; taken as a whole it makes a riveting statement as a Frankenstein for our After-Corona age. Electrifying stuff. Review by Laurence Green

Welcome to a new issue of The Japan Society Review. We present here a small selection of thoughtful reviews and reading suggestions to accompany readers into the autumn season.

Extant, the leading performing arts company and charity in the UK managed for and by visually impaired professional arts practitioners, has recently launched an online digital production of Flight Paths, an interactive reworking of the 2019 theatre production. Review by Susan Meehan

By Tobias S. Harris With Abe Shinzo’s sudden resignation as prime minister, again on health grounds as after his first short period in office in 2007, it is right to ask what historians will think of him. This comprehensive and clearly written biography is the first book in English to offer answers about what made Abe Shinzo become Japan's longest-serving prime minister. Review by Bill Emmott

By Kawakami Mieko Kawakami Mieko's epic novel zooms in on the experience of women, in particular three working-class women from Osaka. The novel was originally published as two separate books, now reunited in translation as one novel of two parts. Review by Susan Meehan

By Sato Yasuhiro (Translated by Michael Brase) This timely volume sets forth the case for Edo-era painter Ito Jakuchu (1716-1800), known by his precise observation of nature. Among his most celebrated artworks is the Colourful Realm of Living Beings - a thirty scroll sequence donated by the artist to Kyoto's Shokokuji temple in 1765. Review by Laurence Green

Politics, History and International Relations are front and centre in this June issue of The Japan Society Review which includes reviews of three recently published volumes on these topics.

By Ricky W. Law Transnational Nazism is a cultural history of German-Japanese relations during the interwar era from the standpoint of their civil societies. It is crucial to highlight that ‘public discourse and perceptions mattered in interwar Japanese-German relations because few could afford firsthand interactions’ (p.2). Review by Francesco Cioffo

By Vivian Li and Christine Starkman The catalogue of the exhibition 'Kimono Couture: The Beauty of Chiso' at the Worcester Art Museum focuses on the crafting practices behind kimono, telling the history of kimono from the view of one of Japan’s oldest kimono houses still existing today. Review by Carolin Becke

By David Howell Lord Howell of Guildford is a long-serving Conservative government minister who, since 1985, has been writing regularly for The Japan Times. This volume contains an edited collection of his columns with some interspersed comments to provide continuity and context. Review by Peter Kornicki