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Tag: Politics

Episode 573 – The Revolutionary, Part 8

April 11, 2025 Isaac Meyer

For our final episode of this miniseries: Miyazaki Manabu faces down with the National Police Agency as he finds himself…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: 1980s, crime, History, Japan, Politics, Postwar

Episode 550 – Dog Days, Part 2

October 18, 2024 Isaac Meyer

This week we continue our footnote on the history of dogs in Japan. How did  public perceptions of dogs change…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: dogs, History, Japan, Meiji, Politics

Episode 546 – The Extreme Right in Postwar Japan, Part 2

September 20, 2024 Isaac Meyer

This week, we’re continuing last week’s footnote on the postwar ultraright. How did the fall of the Soviet Union affect…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: extremism, History, Japan, Politics

Episode 542 – The Heart of Darkness

August 16, 2024 Isaac Meyer

For our second footnote to the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: a simple question that definitely won’t result in an…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: Fascism, History, Japan, Politics, WWII

Episode 540 – The End of the Beginning

August 2, 2024 Isaac Meyer

On the final episode of the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: the LDP completely fails to meet the challenge of…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: economics, History, Japan, LDP, Politics, Postwar

Episode 538 – Japan Rising

July 19, 2024 Isaac Meyer

This week on the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: how did Ikeda Hayato and the LDP build a system that…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: History, Japan, LDP, Politics, Postwar

Episode 535 – The Road to Disaster

June 28, 2024 Isaac Meyer

This week on the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: the descent towards the Second World War. Why did the leadership…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: America, China, History, Japan, Politics, WWII

Episode 534 – The Imperial Democracy

June 21, 2024 Isaac Meyer

This week on the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: during the 1920s, Japan’s political system became more democratic and representative–an…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: democracy, History, Japan, Politics, Taisho

Episode 531 – The New Japan

May 17, 2024 Isaac Meyer

This week on the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: the politics of the Meiji Period! After a coalition of samurai,…

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: History, Japan, Meiji, Politics

Episode 485 – Passion and Prejudice, Part 2

May 19, 2023 Isaac Meyer

The Pal dissent becomes the Pal myth. How did an obscure document from the Tokyo Trials end up front and center in nationalist discourse in Japan today?

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Posted in: History of Japan Podcast, Podcasts Filed under: History, Japan, Politics, Postwar

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About Me

My name is Isaac Meyer, and I’m a  former PhD student at the University of Washington, specializing in modern Japan (with sub-specializations in modern China, modern Europe, and international relations). Today, I work as a teacher at an independent school in the Seattle area.

I also have a tendency to go off on random historical tangents. One day, I decided to combine these two traits in podcast form, and thus was born the History of Japan Podcast!

In 2018, I decided start the Criminal Records Podcast with my wife, Demetria Spinrad. This podcast gives me the chance to talk about world history–and the weird, wonderful world of historical crime and punishment.

Support the Show

Support the Facing Backward network on Patreon to get access to our bonus features, including our bonus episodes about historical fiction.

The History of Japan Patreon is still live, and subscribers will be able to get the weekly newsletter there as well.

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Recent Posts

  • Episode 577 – The Kings of the Ring, Part 4
  • Episode 576 – The Kings of the Ring, Part 3
  • Episode 575 – The Kings of the Ring, Part 2
  • Episode 574 – The Kings of the Ring, Part 1
  • Episode 573 – The Revolutionary, Part 8
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