The Japan Society Review

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

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

By Brad Glosserman In Peak Japan, Brad Glosserman explains his view on why Japan has not and will not change, concluding that Japanese horizons are shrinking and that the Japanese public has given up the bold ambitions of previous generations and its current leadership. Review by Duncan Bartlett

By Amy Stanley A deeply researched work of history that explores the life of an unconventional woman during the first half of the 19th century in Edo (Tokyo) and a portrait of a great city on the brink of the encounter with the West. Review by Laurence Green

By Matsuda Aoko Witty, inventive, and profound, Where the Wild Ladies Are by Matsuda Aoko is considered a contemporary feminist retelling of traditional ghost stories by one of Japan’s most exciting writers. Review by Charlotte Goff

By Onda Riku The first novel by prolific and award-winning author Onda Riku to be published in English is prefaced by a transcript of a police interview with Hisako Aosawa, the sole survivor of a mass murder that has claimed the rest of her family. Review by Jill Dobson

By Shaun Curry Based on the real-life incidence of systematic persecution of Christians in 17th century Japan by the Tokugawa Shogunate, the story of The Swords of Silence takes as its focus Father Joaquim Martinez, a Portuguese priest [...] Review by Laurence Green