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Articles on Japanese history

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Japan’s Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako at their residence Togu Palace in Tokyo, Feb. 17, 2019. Imperial Household Agency of Japan/Handout via Reuters

Japan’s new emperor is a modern, multilingual environmentalist

Japan’s 86-year-old Emperor Akihito abdicates on April 30 — an exceedingly rare event for this ancient monarchy. Can his son, Prince Naruhito, give Japan’s royal family a modern makeover?
Grill, a 19-year-old female California sea lion, holds a brush in her jaws after writing the calligraphy ‘Reiwa’ to mark the beginning of a new era for Japan. EPA-EFE/Jiji Press Japan

Japan: spring and prosperity the watchwords as country announces a new era

The country has reached back more than a thousand years into its early literary heritage for an auspicious name for a new era under a new emperor.
President Donald Trump, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Will US-Japan friendship survive uncertainty in Asia?

US-Japan relations are under pressure. As leaders of the two countries meet this week, a scholar tells the story of the exchange program that made such a difference to American attitudes toward Japan.
Genking, a male-born Japanese TV personality and ‘genderless’ pioneer. _genking_/Instagram

Japan’s gender-bending history

In Japanese popular culture, new trends come and go. But the Japanese have toyed with gender norms for generations.
Shin'ya Tsukamoto (right) and Andrew Garfield in Silence (2016). Cappa Defina Productions

Scorsese’s Silence and the Catholic connection to the atomic bomb

Martin Scorsese’s new film Silence will be shown to an audience of priests at the Vatican today. It tells the story of persecuted Christians in 17th century Japan - an event still remembered by Nagasaki’s Catholic community.

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