The decline & fall of Japanese war graves

There are signs of winter in the air. Yes the leaves have almost gone and the winds have shifted round to the North; but there is more, the winter of a Japanese graveyard. Today, close to my house, I came across a grave of a fallen soldier from Japan’s Imperial army. He died in the

Lindy Hop

Lindy Hop dance music originated in Harlem, New York, amongst the Afro-American community and was immensely popular in the 1930s and 40s. In the Naked Blood of the Cherry Blossoms, Lindy Hop is played at the Rokko Garden, an exclusive club for American officers in Japan. At the rear of the marquee was a raised

Richard Sorge

Richard Sorge was one of the Soviet Union’s most successful spies in Japan. Ostensibly a journalist for the Frankfurter Zeitung, in 1941 Sorge alerted Stalin that the Japanese had no plans to wage war with Russia, allowing Stalin to move more troops west to face the German invasion. It was a crucial piece of information that

The Shakuhachi

I have few regrets in life. However, at school I was given the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, but declined. I regret that decision. I have a deep love of classical music and spend most of my days listening to either the radio or Apple music’s classical suggestions. Their new music selection is getting

The Haizanhei

The Haizanhei (敗残兵, はいざんへい) was a special word which became popular in the immediate defeat of Japan. It referred to the demobbed soldiers who were repatriated to Japan from its former colonies in Taiwan, the Philippines, Korea and elsewhere. When the Emperor pronounced the war’s end, the country was facing a severe food shortage. Over

Propaganda Art during the Korean War

I’m quite taken with the propaganda art from the early 1950s. These were the days before television, let along social media were available, so it was the main medium to communicate messages. This poster for example from the Chinese authorities, who supported North Korea in the Korean war, exhorts long life and victory over the

“Enduring the unendurable”

These were the immortal words of Emperor Hirohito announcing Japan’s surrender in 1945. The Emperor had never spoken publicly before and in fact this speech was pre-recorded by national broadcaster NHK. At the time, the speech caused confusion. The language was very formal Japanese and made no direct reference to surrender. In addition, the broadcast

Japan’s forgotten war orphans

Japan Today is carrying an article concerning war orphans. This is a painful subject for many Japanese and one that does not often appear in the media here. There has been far greater coverage of those kidnapped by the North Koreans in my opinion. It was estimated that there were over 123,000 orphans at the

Akahata newspaper Japan

Akahata means the red flag. It is the official newspaper of the Japanese communist party and was originally founded in 1928. During the Pacific War the Japanese communist party was banned, many of its leading members were imprisoned whilst others were sent into exile. After the Allies took control of Japan between 1945 and 1952,

I saw the world end

Whether commemorate is the right word for the 75th anniversary of Hiroshima I doubt. However, the Imperial War Museum in London has released a short ten minute film to commemorate the event. It’s called ‘I saw the world end.’ You can see it here. It was originally going to be shown at Piccadily Circus but