Culture
Netflix’s ‘Giri/Haji’: A New Kind of Anglo-Japanese Alliance
Flawed people, troubled times. Conflict in the street, conflict in the soul. Dark secrets unravel in the neon-splatt
Author Archives for Peter Tasker, Arcus Research
Peter Tasker is a Tokyo-based analyst with Arcus Research and an occasional contributor to JAPAN Forward. His website: http://www.petertasker.asia/
Special Reports
Japan in 2020: Get Ready for the Geopolitical Olympics
According to Vladimir Lenin, “There are decades when nothing happens and weeks when decades happen.” As Japan moves in
Politics & Security
Intelligence Reforms: Time for a Japanese James Bond
In Ian Fleming’s novel You Only Live Twice, the Japanese Secret Service is a formidable organization. Directed by [&
Sports
Haiku for the Rugby World Cup
The Japanese started playing rugby in the late 1890s, just a few decades after the foundation of the Rugby Union [&helli
Economy & Tech
BOOK REVIEW | ‘The Ghost of Namamugi’ by Robert S.G. Fletcher
Charles Richardson’s Ghost One fine September afternoon in 1862, six years before the Meiji Restoration, a [&hel
Travel
BOOK REVIEW | ‘This Great Stage of Fools’ by Alan Booth
Alan Booth is best known as the author of The Roads to Sata, his account of a solo walk […]
Economy & Tech
The Ghosn Shock: Sayonara to Mr. Davos
The coup d’etat was executed with a stealth and ruthlessness that would have had a CIA operative […]
Economy & Tech
5 Reasons to Delay Japan’s Consumption Tax Hike
In 12 months’ time, Japan’s consumption tax is scheduled to rise from 8% to 10%. That […]
Travel
Sayonara to Tsukiji: Japan’s Fish Business Moves On
It is the end of an era. After 83 years in business, Tsukiji — the world’s largest […]
Special Reports
BOOK REVIEW: Ryoma!: The Life of Sakamoto Ryoma, Japanese Swordsman and Visionary
Peter Tasker Who is Ryoma? He’s a topnotch swordsman who takes on 30 kendo opponents in a row and […]
Culture
Isle of Dodgy Stereotypes: Hollywood’s Japan Problem
Japan is rapidly regressing to pre-war authoritarianism. The capital city’s mayor, the heir to a dynasty of sinister
Arigato, Trump-san: A Welcome Wake-up Call for Japan
In the aftermath of United States President Donald Trump’s first official visit to Japan, it is timely to ask [&hellip