The Japan Society
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The Japan Society Review

The Japan Society Review is an digital publication covering Japan-related books and films, as well as theatre and stage productions, tv series and exhibitions. Published since 2006, it is released now on a quarterly basis and is available online on our website and printed for members. Its purpose is to inform, entertain and encourage readers to explore the works for themselves.

The Japan Society Review is possible thanks to the work of volunteers who dedicated their time and expertise to help us to promote the learning and understanding of Japanese culture and society.

To become a reviewer, please fill the form here and let us know a little about you, your professional or academic background, your interest, passion or expertise regarding Japan and the type of works you would like to review.

If you have any questions, please contact reviews@japansociety.org.uk.

Japan Rising: The Iwakura Embassy to the USA and Europe

Books

Japan Rising: The Iwakura Embassy to the USA and Europe

Compiled by Kunitake Kume, eds. Chushichi Tsuzuki and R. Jules Young; with an introduction by Ian Nish. Cambridge University Press, 2009, 528 pages. Review by Roger Buckley.

Japanese Intelligence in World War II

Books

Japanese Intelligence in World War II

By Ken Kotani (小谷 賢), translated by Chiharu Kotani, Osprey, 2009, 224 pages including end notes, bibliography and index, ISBN 13-978-1-84603-425-1. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi “This study reveals a Japanese military that was in most respects dysfunctional in the field of intelligence. It was not so much a failure of the intelligence organizations themselves […]

Okamoto Yukio: Genba Shugi o Tsuranuita Gaikokan

Books

Okamoto Yukio: Genba Shugi o Tsuranuita Gaikokan

Okamoto Yukio: Genba Shugi o Tsuranuita Gaikokan [岡本行夫 現場主義を貫いた外交官], (Okamoto Yukio: A Diplomat Always in the Field). By Makoto Iokibe [五百旗頭真], Motoshige Ito [伊藤 元重] and Katsuyuki Yakushiji [薬師寺 克行]. Asahi Shimbun Publishing, 2008, 347 pages, ISBN-13: 978-4022504791, 2000 yen. Review by Fumiko Halloran.

Seiken Kotai – Kono Kuni o Kaeru [政権交代―この国を変える] (Change of Political Power – To Change This Country)

Books

Seiken Kotai – Kono Kuni o Kaeru [政権交代―この国を変える] (Change of Political Power – To Change This Country)

By Katsuya Okada, Kodansha, June, 2008, 253 pages, 1500 yen. Review by Fumiko Halloran.

Minshuto Kaibo and Minshuto No Yami

Books

Minshuto Kaibo and Minshuto No Yami

Minshuto Kaibo [民主党解剖] (Anatomy of the Democratic Party of Japan) & Minshuto No Yami [民主党の闇] (The Democratic Party of Japan in Darkness) Minshuto Kaibo, by Sankei Shimbun Political News Division, Sankei Shimbun-sha No Hon, July 2009, 228 pages, 1300 yen Minshuto No Yami, by Keisuke Udagawa, Seiko Shobo, July 2009, 253 pages, 1575 yen Reviews by Fumiko Halloran

Hatoyama Yukio to Hatoyama-ke Yondai

Books

Hatoyama Yukio to Hatoyama-ke Yondai

Hatoyama Yukio to Hatoyama-ke Yondai, [鳩山由紀夫と鳩山家四代] (Yukio Hatoyama and the Four Generation Hatoyama Family) By Seiho Mori, Chuko Shinsho La Clef, September, 2009, 186 pages, 720 yen Review by Fumiko Halloran

Japanese Society at War: Death, Memory and the Russo-Japanese War

Books

Japanese Society at War: Death, Memory and the Russo-Japanese War

By Naoko Shimazu Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare (No. 28), Birkbeck College, University of London, 2009, 354 pages, ISBN-13: 9780521859349 Review by Peter Gysin

Contested Governance In Japan: Sites and Issues

Books

Contested Governance In Japan: Sites and Issues

Edited by Glenn D Hook Sheffield Centre for Japanese Studies/RoutledgeCurzon Series, Abingdon,2005, 288 pages, 978-0-415-36419-5 Review by Roger Buckley

Mental Health Challenges Facing Contemporary Japanese Society – The ‘Lonely People’

Books

Mental Health Challenges Facing Contemporary Japanese Society – The ‘Lonely People’

By Yuko Kawanishi Global Oriental, 2009, 175 pages including index and bibliography, ISBN 978-1-906876-00-5, £30 Reviews by Sir Hugh Cortazzi & Sandra Lawman

Ultimate Crush: Waseda University Rugby, Leadership and Building the Strongest Winning Team in Japan

Books

Ultimate Crush: Waseda University Rugby, Leadership and Building the Strongest Winning Team in Japan

By Katsuyuki Kiyomiya, Translated by Ian Ruxton North Carolina: Lulu Press, 2006, 150 pages Review by Ian Nish