The Japan Society Review

By Kumagai Naoko Kumagai Naoko goes on to discuss the facts that can be firmly established. She asks ‘how much free will did the comfort women have’ and the extent of coercion exercised by the Japanese military [...] Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

Directed by Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams In Kim Longinotto’s observational documentary the line between reality and staging in the profession of female wrestling (joshi puroresu) is addressed with ambiguity. On the one hand, the training regimes [...] Review by George Barker

Directed by Martin Scorsese Scorsese has adapted the famous novel of Endo Shusaku. The novel is set mainly around the 1630s at a time when the violent eradication of Christianity in the early Tokugawa era was mainly achieved, apart [...] Review by Roger Macy

By Mari Ono Mindfulness has come into popular culture in recent years but it is a concept which is centuries old. Mari’s beautiful book is a joy for the senses and a perfect companion to practice mindfulness. Review by Margaret Russo

By Gordon Daniels In this piece of detailed research, Dr Daniels has brought into focus the role of the Japanese Red Cross Relief Mission to Britain during the 1914-1918 war. For most of 1915, a team of highly qualified nurses and [...] Review by Gill Goddard

Directed by Shinkai Makoto Your Name tells the story of teenagers Mitsuha and Taki, who have the humdrum of their daily lives disrupted when they mysteriously swap bodies. We see Taki going through the experience of living in the [...] Review by Poppy Cosyns

Kero Kero Bonito are a quirky three piece from London producing exciting alternative dance music. What immediately sets this group apart is the heavy influence of kawaii J-Pop in their otherwise avowedly [...] Review by Annabelle Sami

Edited by Suzanne Perrin and Jeremy Hoare This handy book comprises dialogues with ten distinguished personalities in the UK-Japan world who have made considerable contributions to the understanding of Japan in the UK. Review by Susan Meehan

By Donald Keene Takuboku Ishikawa (1886-1912), the subject of this study, is little known outside Japan and according to Keene increasingly overlooked in Japan. For a time he was ‘Japan’s most popular poet. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi 

By Lesley Downer The historical and emotional sweep of this book takes your breath away. This book takes Lesley Downer's tetralogy about the death throes of Japan’s Edo period (1603-1868) to new heights. Review by Elizabeth Ingrams