New Books in Japanese Studies

Marshall Poe

Japan

World War II

Japanese Literature

Japanese Culture

Manga

Cold War

Colonialism

Cultural Exchange

Anime

Anachronism

Japanese Buddhism

Estonian-Japanese Relations

Cultural Identity

Buddhism

World War I

China

Tokyo

Macau

Modern and Contemporary Japanese Women Writers

Frederick Rutland

This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to ... more

25 ratings

Publishes	Twice weekly	Episodes	496	Founded	6 years ago
Number of Listeners		Categories	ArtsBooksEducation

Listen to this Podcast

Guests Host Charts Talking Points

Latest Episodes

Daisuke Miyao, "Ozu and the Ethics of Indeterminacy" (Duke UP, 2026)

Ozu and the Ethics of Indeterminacy (Duke University Press, 2026) re-examines cinema studies through the work of Japanese filmmaker Yasujirō Ozu, employing the multiple methodologies and indeterminacy of Ozu’s films as a model for discussions of cine... more

Yesterday • 1 hr 15 min

Masako Ichihara, "Climate Change Litigation in Japan: Cases, Challenges, and Opportunities for Environmental Law" (Brill, 2026)

Climate Change Litigation in Japan: Cases, Challenges, and Opportunities for Environmental Law (Brill, 2026) provides the details of Japanese climate litigation, positioning them both within the global trends of climate litigation and on the trajecto... more

19 Apr 2026 • 33 min

New Book Releases 2026 on Japan, Taiwan

This episode of the Books on Asia podcast introduces new fiction and non-fiction on Japan to be published this year, 2026, along with two upcoming books on Taiwan. Books are presented in the order they appear on the podcast. Listen to the episode for... more

17 Apr 2026 • 18 min

Ted Goossen on translating Hiromi Kawakami’s “Third Love”

Translator Ted Goossen talks about everything from first landing in Japan in 1968 to the differences between translating Haruki Murakami and Hiromi Kawakami, especially the complexities of Hiromi Kawakami’s latest book The Third Love.

Amy has a deep... more

10 Apr 2026 • 44 min

Key Facts

Accepts Guests

Accepts Sponsors

Contact Information

Podcast Host

Number of Listeners

Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Economist PodcastsThe Economist

History of JapanIsaac Meyer

Arts & IdeasBBC Radio 4

In Our TimeBBC Radio 4

Sinica PodcastKaiser Kuo

Recent Guests

Ted Goossen

Translator and editor, co-founder/editor of Monkey New Writing from Japan

York University (retired professor)

Episode: Ted Goossen on translating Hiromi Kawakami’s “Third Love”

Ruth Mandujano López

Author of Steamships Across the Pacific: Maritime Journeys Between Mexico, China and Japan, 1867–1914

University of Hong Kong Press

Episode: Ruth Mandujano López, "Steamships Across the Pacific: Maritime Journeys between Mexico, China, and Japan, 1867–1914" (U Hong Kong Press, 2025)

Marty Friedman

Multi-platinum recording artist and government-appointed ambassador to Japan Heritage; author of Dreaming Japanese (permitted memoir)

Megadeth (former member); Japan Heritage ambassador

Episode: Marty Friedman with Jon Wiederhorn, "Dreaming Japanese" (Permuted Press, 2024)

Robert Cribb

Emeritus Professor of Asian History at the Australian National University

Australian National University

Episode: Robert Cribb and Sandra Wilson, "Twelve Japanese War Criminals and One Who Got Away" (U Hawaiʻi Press, 2026)

Sandra Wilson

Professor of Japanese History at Murdoch University

Murdoch University

Episode: Robert Cribb and Sandra Wilson, "Twelve Japanese War Criminals and One Who Got Away" (U Hawaiʻi Press, 2026)

Peter Mauch

Author of Tojo: The Rise and Fall of Japan's Most Controversial World War II General

Western Sydney University / Harvard University Press

Episode: Peter Mauch, "Tojo: The Rise and Fall of Japan's Most Controversial World War II General" (Harvard UP, 2026)

Greg Smits

Author of The Ryukyu Islands, A New History from the Stone Age to the Present

University of Chicago Press / Penn State University

Episode: Gregory Smits, "The Ryukyu Islands: A New History from the Stone Age to the Present" (U Chicago Press, 2026)

Robert Whiting

Author and journalist known for books on Japan's underworld, baseball, and culture

Author of Gangsters, Fraudsters, Dreamers & Spies

Episode: Robert Whiting, "Gamblers, Fraudsters, Dreamers & Spies: The Outsiders who Shaped Modern Japan (Tuttle, 2024)

Jeffrey Angles

Writer, translator and professor at Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University

Episode: Hiromi Ito, "The Thorn Puller" (Stone Bridge Press, 2022)

Host

Nathan Hopson

Host for The New Books in Japanese Studies podcast, New Books Network

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts	#55	South Korea/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts	#108	South Korea/Arts
Apple Podcasts	#110	Taiwan/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts	#168	Belgium/Arts/Books

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Robert Whiting, "Gamblers, Fraudsters, Dreamers & Spies: The Outsiders who Shaped Modern Japan (Tuttle, 2024)

Q: Has there been any change in laws about criminals profiting from writing books about their life of crime in Japan?

Whiting notes uncertainty about current laws but mentions prior practice where sometimes a judge would rule on profits from criminal writings, suggesting the legal framework has long grappled with balancing freedom of expression and accountability in criminal narratives.

Robert Whiting, "Gamblers, Fraudsters, Dreamers & Spies: The Outsiders who Shaped Modern Japan (Tuttle, 2024)

Q: I'd like to move on to North Korea. Since 1989, North Korea has printed over $40 million in counterfeit US currency. How does this history connect to Japan's postwar crime landscape?

Whiting explains that North Korea used covert operations including counterfeit currency and narcotics to influence regional dynamics, and that these activities intersected with Japan's underworld networks, illustrating the cross-border nature of crime and state-sponsored activities in the postwar era.

Robert Cribb and Sandra Wilson, "Twelve Japanese War Criminals and One Who Got Away" (U Hawaiʻi Press, 2026)

Q: Can you give the listener a general overview of the war crimes trials that followed the war, including who conducted them and what the verdicts tended to be?

The Tokyo trials represented the international bench with a broader charge sheet, while most cases in the narrative come from national military tribunals run by seven allied countries, which tended to convict on clearer, more traditional war crimes charges; overall, sentences varied, with significant use of death penalties and lengthy imprisonment, and later reviews sometimes reduced sentences to align with other cases.

Gregory Smits, "The Ryukyu Islands: A New History from the Stone Age to the Present" (U Chicago Press, 2026)

Q: How does maritime trade and piracy shape our understanding of Ryukyu history?

The discussion emphasizes that Ryukyu was deeply embedded in maritime networks, with Wako pirates and merchants playing essential roles, and that the tribute system with China often operated as a framework that allowed both formal state-sanctioned trade and private, sometimes illicit, trade that profited Ryukyuan elites and local mariners alike.

Gregory Smits, "The Ryukyu Islands: A New History from the Stone Age to the Present" (U Chicago Press, 2026)

Q: What is the basic timeline or major eras of Ryukyuan history as you see them?

Smits explains a progression through three major political iterations: an early set of fragmented trade kingdoms with limited centralized power, a genuine centralized state or empire centered in Shuri around 1530, and finally a later configuration after 1609 where Ryukyu became distinctively tied to Satsuma and Japan while maintaining a facade of independence for diplomacy with China.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About New Books in Japanese Studies

What is New Books in Japanese Studies about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A scholarly interview series that foregrounds recent research in Japanese studies, East Asian history, literature, and related humanities. Episodes typically feature authors and subject-matter experts discussing newly published books, with conversations that span premodern and modern Japan, cross-cultural perspectives, and interdisciplinary methodologies. Notable patterns include deep dives into historical memory, religion, media representations, and the global interconnections of Japanese studies, often framed through archival analysis, cultural history, and theoretical refraction. The format tends to blend biography, scholarly context, and book-specific takeaways, making it a strong fit for researchers, graduate students, librarians, and ... more

Where can I find podcast stats for New Books in Japanese Studies?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for New Books in Japanese Studies. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to New Books in Japanese Studies and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does New Books in Japanese Studies get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for New Books in Japanese Studies, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for New Books in Japanese Studies?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for New Books in Japanese Studies, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does New Books in Japanese Studies have?

To see how many followers or subscribers New Books in Japanese Studies has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to New Books in Japanese Studies?

These podcasts share a similar audience with New Books in Japanese Studies:

1. Economist Podcasts
2. History of Japan
3. Arts & Ideas
4. In Our Time
5. Sinica Podcast

How many episodes of New Books in Japanese Studies are there?

New Books in Japanese Studies launched 6 years ago and published 496 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact New Books in Japanese Studies?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for New Books in Japanese Studies?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for New Books in Japanese Studies from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for New Books in Japanese Studies?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of New Books in Japanese Studies. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on New Books in Japanese Studies?

Recent guests on New Books in Japanese Studies include:

1. Ted Goossen
2. Ruth Mandujano López
3. Marty Friedman
4. Robert Cribb
5. Sandra Wilson
6. Peter Mauch
7. Greg Smits
8. Robert Whiting

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.

Try it free for 7 days