The Japan Society Review

By various contributors The Bodleian Library’s Japanese rare books and manuscripts, among Europe’s oldest institutional collections, are explored by leading scholars in a celebration of five centuries of collecting. Review by Sanae Inagaki

By Matsuoka Shinpei In this book renowned Noh scholar Matsuoka Shinpei reimagines the origins of Japan’s iconic theater tradition, not as an elite pastime, but as a vibrant fusion of popular culture, religious ritual, and bodily expression. Review by Laurence Green

By Shinjo Ko This contemporary Japanese crime thriller weaves a complex tale of deception and greed, drawing inspiration from recent land-fraud scandals. Review by Shaun English

By Geoff Goolnik A detailed biography of Richard Henry Brunton (1841-1901) that traces his professional achievements and the transnational scope of his engineering career in Great Britain, Japan and Ireland. Review by Graham J. Ironside

By Michael Pronko The book maps out the complex, pulsing scene of Japanese jazz with detailed entries on clubs, musicians, jam spots, and the culture that surrounds them. Review by Laurence Green

By Otani Akira In this no-holds-barred queer thriller, a fierce mixed-race fighter develops a powerful attachment to the yakuza princess she's been forced to kill. Review by Alex Russell

By Shibasaki Tomoka This collection is a finely wrought tapestry of life in Japan and abroad, imbued with universal themes of family, memory, resilience, and change. Review by Renae Lucas-Hall

By Aoyama Michiko This novel a quietly profound work that invites us to listen more closely — to others, to books, and to ourselves. Review by Vittorio Cimino

By Enchi Fumiko Written by one of the greats of postwar Japanese literature, Enchi Fumiko, Masks is a masterfully layered dismantling of conventional ideas of female forgiveness and love. Review by Tara Jones

Edited by Ruth Taplin and Fuchikawa Kazuhiko This volume addresses the regulatory challenges posed by digital platforms, whose rapid rise has led to new forms of market dominance. Review by Kenneth S. Friedman