The Tale of Genji’s Image-Conscious, Experience-Hungry Courtiers
A new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art depicts self-indulgence amid the disorder of a decaying world.
Japan
The Longer History of the Christchurch Attacks
For over a century, the United States has played a role in inspiring and enabling white supremacy in Australia and New Zealand.
The U.S.-India Relationship Needs Work
Two decades after India tested its nuclear weapons, the country still isn't in a position to do what the United States wants from it: help counter China.
A Smarter Idea Than Starting a Trade War
To curb China, the U.S. could increase development aid to other Asian countries. Sometimes, doing good is good strategy.
The Bright Side of Japan’s Bleak Election
The country has reverted to de facto one-party rule. But there are signs that Japan's democracy is not dead yet.
A Journalist Confronts the Japanese Tsunami
In "Ghosts of the Tsunami," Richard Lloyd Parry asks: How can you write about a disaster beyond comprehension?
What’s So “Inscrutable” About Kazuo Ishiguro?
The author has now won the Nobel Prize. But critics are still struggling to understand him.
How Not to Adapt a Manga Classic
Netflix's "Death Note" is a case study in whitewashing a great story so thoroughly that it becomes unrecognizable.
How Should a Person Die?
Minae Mizumura's "Inheritance From Mother" takes on aging, family, and Japan's complicated relationship with the West.
Why Donald Trump Wants You to Ignore Russia and Worry About China
His emerging foreign policy would divide the planet along racial lines.
The Novelist and the Maestro
In a new book of conversations, Haruki Murakami mines the memories of famed conductor Seiji Ozawa for an insider view of orchestra life.
When Cuteness Comes of Age
Japan's country and culture is conflicted over cuteness.
The Ghosts of Fukushima
It’s been five years since the meltdown forced them to abandon their village. Now they’re going home. Can a town devastated by nuclear disaster be brought back to life?
Is Scarlett Johansson Too White for Anime?
The outrage prompted by her role in "Ghost in the Shell" simplifies Japan and America’s long history of mutual appropriation.
Why Is Japan So Obsessed With Moss?
Two academics explain the rationale behind the country's latest craze.
Phantom of the Orchestra
Mamoru Samuragochi’s story hit all the right notes: a deaf genius whose music inspired a nation. But the “Japanese Beethoven” wasn’t who he seemed.
America, Don't Give Up on Afghanistan
This war is still winnable
