A History of Japan

Competing ideas about the Emperor's identity and proper place in the Japanese political order would become especially heated during the tumultuous 1930s and radical adherents of the Imperial Way Faction in the military engaged in a well-organized coup which nearly toppled the civilian government. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon...

The Empire of Japan's decision to break with liberal democracies in favor of rising fascist powers was driven, in part, by the successes enjoyed by said fascist powers throughout the 1930s. In this episode, we discuss how their leaders managed to consolidate that power in the first place. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barne...

After alienating the western liberal democracies with whom they had previously enjoyed friendly relations, the Empire of Japan began exploring new friendship and alliances with the growing fascist powers which were emerging in Europe as the Second Sino-Japanese war began in 1937. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble...

Following its investigation into the Mukden Incident and subsequent Japanese occupation of northeast China, the League of Nations demands that Japan withdraw its troops and return the territory they've seized. Japan responds by withdrawing from the League of Nations. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo ,...

Japan's conflict with China flares up once again with the Shanghai Incident. Meanwhile, on the domestic front, ultra-nationalist terrorists engage in a widespread campaign of assassination and attempted coups. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platfo...

Three years after the assassination of Zhang Zuolin and attempted framing of the KMT, a group of higher-ranking officers within the Kwantung Army staged another false flag attack, which resulted in their conquest of northeast China and the establishment of the puppet state of Manchukuo. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes &...

In 1928, a group of officers in the Kwantung Army attempted to frame the KMT for their own assassination of Zhang Zuolin. The failed attempts to enforce accountability and discipline which followed set the stage for similar incidents in the future. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop....

Two years prior to the much larger Great Depression, Japan experienced its own financial crisis thanks to the Great Kanto Earthquake, government bonds, and a panicky populace. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platforms! 

The elevation of Emperor Showa was accompanied by a wave of reactionary backlash against Taisho Democracy. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platforms! 

Quin Cho's latest book "The Rise of the Kwantung Army" is coming out on September 18. In this special interview episode, we discuss his upcoming book and the role that gekokujo played in Japan's invasion of northeast China. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org ,...

Kaila Yu's memoir "Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty" is coming out on August 19. In this special interview episode, we discuss her upcoming book as well as one chapter which specifically highlights the inaccuracies and falsehoods found in the popular novel "Memoirs of a Geisha." Purchase Kaila Yu's Memoir from Bookshop.org by clicking he...

China's difficulties continued throughout the Taisho Period as Yuan Shikai died in the midst of a civil war between China's north and south. The Warlord Era saw many colorful characters rise to power, many of whom were betrayed by underlings or defeated by enemies with only slight advantages. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazo...

The question of equal rights for women was extremely divisive in Japan during the Taisho Period. A determined group of feminists would try to punch through the controversy through fiction, editorials, debates, and rhetoric. Some would successfully lobby for change; others would pay the ultimate price for challenging the patriarchy. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade,&q...

The Taisho Period witnessed the coming-of-age for many political parties and movements. This episode focuses on the fringe left during the Taisho Period, who grew and organized in spite of government repression and social stigma. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many othe...

Japan saw its fair share of progress during the Taisho Period but it also saw an increase in the raw cruelty which its armed forces were willing to use in order to preserve their empire. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platforms! 

Toward the end of the Taisho Period, the Imperial Diet finally passed a law which established universal suffrage for men 25 and older regardless of tax assessment. Shortly before, however, they also passed a law which would allow law enforcement entities far greater powers of surveillance, harassment, and repression. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now ava...

Japan signed a treaty with their fellow Entente Powers which slowed construction on the ever-increasing navies of many nations. In 1923, a terrible earthquake struck the Kanto Region resulting in massive damage and an incredible number of casualties. The atrocity that soon followed, however, only served to increase the tragedy. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade,"...

Japan emerges as a major player among world powers as their ambassadors helped finalize the postwar treaties and create a new international body meant to stop large-scale wars before they began: The League of Nations. However, trouble continued brewing on the Korean Peninsula as a new mass movement for national liberation took to the streets. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's...

The new international status quo that emerged after the first World War was very different than what came before, and Japan was poised to become a major new power in this new world. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platforms! 

The eastern front of the first world war was much busier than its western counterpart and the stakes for one nation were much higher. When the war finally ended with the Entente triumphant, Japan was poised to enjoy the advantages of supporting the winning side. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Boo...

The assassination of an Austrian Archduke sparks a chain reaction which would ignite a global conflict on a scale never seen before. If you'd like to read the complete "Literary Digest History of the World War," all ten volumes are available for free on the internet archive here. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barn...

In early 1912, the Qing Dynasty officially transferred its right to rule to the Republic of China, who named Yuan Shikai as their president in exchange for ending the civil war. Shikai, however, would soon prove just as power-hungry and authoritarian as the imperial system he sought to replace. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barn...

The first decade of the 1900s witnessed a final attempt by the Qing Dynasty to reform its outmoded systems of governance and forge a new Chinese nation state. Those attempts eventually failed in the wake of a massive revolution against the last dynasty of China, which succeeded in 1912. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes &...

The Taisho Period began with a political crisis that threatened to upend the stability established by the Meiji Period as the people of Japan took to the streets to express their displeasure by rioting. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platforms! 

This episode follows the lives and adventures of Basil Hall Chamberlain and Lafcadio Hearn, two of the most famous foreign residents who lived in Japan during the Meiji Period. Support the show  My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple Books , Bookshop.org , and many other online platforms!