The Japan Society Review

In this issue our regular review team offers you another excellent selection of the latest books on Japan. Sir Hugh Cortazzi looks at a stimulating new book by Bill Emmott “Rivals: How the Power Struggle Between China, India and Japan will Shape our Next Decade.” As the title indicates, it explores [...]

Welcome to 2008’s first exciting edition of The Japan Society Review. In this issue we have some fascinating pieces spanning Japanese politics and literature to gardening along with a look at some recent fictional books plus our regular film feature and much much more!

In our final issue of 2007, we have some excellent reviews and previews of the latest Japan-related books hot off the printing press. Our first article looks at a major new work by Sir Max Hastings on the dramatic final year that lead to Japan's wartime defeat. We also feature three recently published Japanese language books which offer insights into the Koizumi years and the US-Japan relationship.

Along with our usual great selection of new book reviews in this issue we offer our first proper film review of the award-winning and highly popular movie Hula Girls. We now hope to start regular reviews of major Japanese films and DVD releases to complement our book line-up.

This issue marks an important milestone in the development of the Reviews project as we launch our new regular reviews of Japanese language books, publish our first fictional book reviews and introduce our new readers' comments section.

June was an exciting month for us with the publication of two much anticipated Japan Society supported books, "Japanese Envoys in Britain, 1862-1964: A Century of Diplomatic Exchange" and "Britain and Japan: Biographical Portraits, Volume VI. The main theme of this issue is new publications on recent Japanese history.

In this colourful spring issue our main theme is photographic books about Japan and we review an excellent selection of new books on the topic. We can only present a very limited number of photographs from these books in the following pages, but if you visit our website you will find a host visual gems.

Our first issue of 2007 features a major new Japanese book on the Second World War, "Who Was Responsible?" which has generated considerable international debate. We also review other books on the topic which examine different aspects of Japan's wartime past.

Our last issue of 2006 reviews an exciting selection of new books ideal for the rapidly approaching holiday season. We also launch our new Arts Review feature with a look at two recently published works, both offered at specially discounted prices for our readers.

September 2006 will be remembered as a historic month for Japan with the birth of the first male heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 41 years and the election of a new prime minister to replace the flamboyant Junichiro Koizumi. The focus of this issue of Japan Book Review also has a strong historic flavour with an excellent selection of new reviews.