Japan Times – Page 4 – Iain Maloney

Salad Days

I have two pieces in this Sunday’s Japan Times. Reviews of the gorgeous Salad Anniversary by Machi Tawara and the thought-provoking The Japan-South Korea Identity Clash by Brad Glosserman and Scott Snyder. You can read them here and here.

Confessions of a Mask

Yukio Mishima is best known for his Sea of Fertility tetralogy, but Confessions of a Mask is a brave, honest book, and one that in part influenced some of the themes behind First Time Solo. In today’s Japan Times I take a look at the novel as part of the Essential Reading for Japanophiles series. You can read itContinue reading “Confessions of a Mask”

Coming Up For Air

At last, I hear you cry, a post that isn’t just a link to a Japan Times article. Yes, of late my epistles to the outside world have been a bit samey, but there are good reasons for that. Obviously I’ve been productive for the paper and hopefully those pieces are of some interest, but I’veContinue reading “Coming Up For Air”

Risa Wataya Interview

I recently interviewed Risa Wataya, winner of both the Akutagawa and Oe Kenzaburo prizes, the two most distinguished literary awards in Japan. Her novel I Want To Kick You In The Back has just been translated into English. The interview is now available to read online at the Japan Times, here.

A Personal Matter

This week’s Japan Times ‘Essentials’ piece is about Kenzaburo Oe’s A Personal Matter. Oe is one of only two Japanese writers to win the Nobel Prize for Literature and is, in my opinion, one of the finest and most important writers at work today.

Kazuo Ishiguro

A double whammy of Kazuo Ishiguro in the Japan Times today. My review of his new novel, The Buried Giant and a retrospective look at An Artist of the Floating World in the ‘Essential Reading for Japanophiles’ series.

War and National Reinvention

This week’s review for the Japan Times is a great book on Japan’s role in the First World War. It’s often forgotten that Japan was an ally of Britain in this conflict and invaded German colonies in China at British urging. At Versailles the land grab was made official in what China still refers toContinue reading “War and National Reinvention”

David Pilling Interview

I recently got the chance to interview David Pilling, Asia Editor of the Financial Times, for the Japan Times. Last year he published a brilliant book on contemporary Japan, Bending Adversity. You can read the interview here.

Manchu Princess, Japanese Spy

I reviewed Phyllis Birnbaum’s Manchu Princess, Japanese Spy for the Japan Times this weekend. Kawashima Yoshiko was a Chinese princess raised in Japan who set out to become the ‘Manchu Joan of Arc’ and was often called the ‘Eastern Mata Hari’. Yukawa Haruna, one of the two Japanese hostages recently executed by Isis, apparently believed himselfContinue reading “Manchu Princess, Japanese Spy”

Rising Sun and Tumbling Bear

My latest piece for the Japan Times is up today, a look at Richard Connaughton’s fascinating account of the 1904-5 war between Japan and Russia. This short war was the first time a European country had been defeated by an Asian country since the Mongol hordes swept west in the 13th century and sent shockwavesContinue reading “Rising Sun and Tumbling Bear”