The Japan Society Review

By Mark Stille This slim volume provides an introduction to the life and strategy of one of the leading Japanese naval commanders in the Pacific War: Isoroku Yamamoto. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

By Osamu Dazai Schoolgirl was the first of Dazai’s published works, and gained him national acclaim. The novella is set in Tokyo during the Second World War, a time of [...] Review by Chris Corker

By Lesley Downer This book centres on the story of Saigo Takamori, one of the most romanticised and pivotall samurai of the 19th century, who also provided a model for [...] Review by Christopher Searle

By Shiba Ryōtarō This book, considered to be the author's most popular work, centres on the lives of two brothers, Akiyama Yoshifuru and Akiyama Saneyuki, and their friend, the poet [...] Review by Mark Headley

By Haruki Murakami On her way to kill a man in a Shibuya hotel, Aomame is forced to take a shortcut from the bridge, climbing down a ladder. After the man is dead, Aomame begins to notice subtle differences [...] Review by Chris Corker

By Frederik l. Schodt The author, who has written other books about popular Japanese culture, gives a colourful account of the life and travels of Richard Risley Carlisle, who [...] Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

By Yamaguchi Yoshiko The dramatic life the author describes in this memoir illustrates the fate of a beautiful and talented girl who grew up in Manchuria when Japan established a puppet state there in 1932. Review by Fumiko Halloran

Edited by Ruth Taplin and Sandra J. Lawman This impressive multi-authored work comprehensively examines the current state of the mental health system in Japan. It furnishes an excellent overview of [...] Review by Sean Curtin

Edited by Alessio Patalano This book arises from a conference held in London in 2009 organized by the Department of War Studies at King’s College, London and the Japanese Embassy. ‘This project represents [...] Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

By Jeff Kingston In this book Professor Kingston looks at the risks and challenges facing Japan in the twenty-first century. He draws particular attention to Japan’s “demographic time bomb” and [...] Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi