History of Japan

Latest Episodes:

Episode 146 - The Birth of the Samurai, Part 1 Apr 23, 2016

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This week, we'll be starting a short series about the advent of the samurai class. First, what came before the samurai, and why did Japan's emperors decide to devolve more and more power to provincial warriors?

Episode 145 - An Offer You Can't Refuse, Part 2 Apr 16, 2016

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What does organized crime look like in modern Japan, and why does anybody put up with it? Also, how many rocket launchers can you buy with 50 pounds of amphetamines?

All that and more, this week.

Episode 144 - An Offer You Can't Refuse, Part 1 Apr 09, 2016

Show notes

Someday, and that day may never come, I'll call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day, accept this episode as a gift on my podcast's release day.

Pull off your shirt to reveal your gang tattoos, it's time for the yakuza!

Episode 143 - Nanjing, Part 2 Apr 02, 2016

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This week, we talk about how views of Nanjing have shifted since WWII, and where the modern right-wing revisionists came from. Why are we still talking about a massacre from 80 years ago?

Episode 142 - Nanjing, Part 1 Mar 26, 2016

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This week, we look at the events of the Nanjing Massacre. Just what happened in China's capital city in December, 1937?

Episode 141 - Fukushima Mar 19, 2016

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Today we're going to talk about Japan's relationship with nuclear power and the catastrophic events of March, 2011. Why did Japan become so reliant on nuclear energy? Why did all the safeguards in place fail so badly in 2011? And where on earth do we go from here?

Episode 140 - The Stars Our Destination Mar 12, 2016

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This week, we'll talk about the birth of the Japanese space program. From its origins as the brainchild of a former weapons designer and a borderline pyromaniac, the programs now incorporated into JAXA (the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) have accomplished some of the most amazing technical feats of the 20th and 21st century. How did they do it, and why? And what's changing now with the rise of China?

Episode 139 - The Soldiers of the Sun Mar 05, 2016

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This week: conscription in Japan. What's it like to be conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army? How are conscripts treated, and what are the goals of the conscription system?

Episode 138 - The Fall of the Samurai, Part 21 Feb 27, 2016

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Aaand we're done. This week, some final thoughts on the period and its key players before we put the Meiji Restoration to bed for good! Be sure to get in touch and tell me what you thought of the series.

Episode 137 - The Fall of the Samurai, Part 20 Feb 20, 2016

Show notes

This week, we turn to the final drama of our series -- the samurai rebellions that will break out in final defense of 1000 years of samurai tradition. As the group of leaders who had overthrown the Tokugawa becomes ever smaller, the final course of Japan will be set. From this point on, what the new Japan will look like will be clear.

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