In the first two decades of the twentieth century, the relationship between the United States and Japan was marked by increasing tension and corresponding attempts to use diplomacy to reduce the threat of conflict. Each side had territory and interests… Read More ›
Japanese History
The Mukden Incident and the Stimson Doctrine
In 1931, a dispute near the Chinese city of Mukden (Shenyang) precipitated events that led to the Japanese conquest of Manchuria. In response, U.S. Secretary of State Henry Stimson issued what would become known as the Stimson Doctrine, stating that… Read More ›
Hiroshima: Why America Dropped the Atomic Bomb – Book Review
Originally Published on Videri.org Ronald Takaki’s book Hiroshima: Why America Dropped the Bomb explores the decision-making process that led up to America’s use of nuclear weapons against Japan in World War II. A professor of Ethnic Studies at the University… Read More ›
Japan and the 150th Anniversary of the Meiji Restoration
From The Diplomat by Shin Kawashima: For Japan, 2018 marks the 150th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration; the name given to the events of 1868, which saw the downfall of the Tokugawa shogunate (or bakufu) and the creation of a new… Read More ›