• 26 minutes 44 seconds
    Toxic Shock (Politics 1973-1979)

    The 1973 Oil Crisis had a devastating effect on Japan's economy and led to a period of rapid political turmoil as the ruling LDP, for the first time in the party's history, failed to obtain a simple majority of seats in the diet.

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    27 July 2026, 4:00 pm
  • 48 minutes 35 seconds
    The Vietnam Wars (Vietnam, 1945-1976)

    After Japan's surrender in August of 1945, the Empire of Vietnam witnessed a revolution and its winners crafted a declaration of independence. However, forming a new nation-state during the Cold War would prove to be a long, bloody struggle.

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    20 July 2026, 4:00 pm
  • 50 minutes 4 seconds
    A Peninsula Divided (Korea, 1945-1975)

    The Korean Peninsula was divided after the second world war as the Soviet Union occupied the north and the US occupying the south. Though this division was initially meant to be temporary, the subsequent Korean War and its aftermath cemented the divisions for both North and South as the Cold War brought troops from both the United States and the People's Republic of China into direct conflict.

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    13 July 2026, 4:00 pm
  • 26 minutes 43 seconds
    The Great Leap (China, 1953-1976)

    As the People's Republic of China sought to establish itself as a modern nation state, its government chose to imitate the Soviet Union's path to modernization as they collectivized agriculture, labor, and industry with unfortunately devastating results.

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    6 July 2026, 4:00 pm
  • 26 minutes 53 seconds
    The People’s Republic (China, 1945-1953)

    After the Japanese Imperial Army evacuated China, any hopes of peaceful reunification were dashed as the Nationalists and Communists continued fighting the Chinese Civil War, the result of which would see the birth of the People's Republic of China.

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    29 June 2026, 4:00 pm
  • 34 minutes 26 seconds
    The New Wave (Social Matters, 1955-1972)

    As incomes soared and standards of living likewise rising, the demand for entertainment in Japan also rose and the industries of film, television, and animation would produce some of the most innovative and influential works ever made.

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    22 June 2026, 4:00 pm
  • 36 minutes 50 seconds
    Making a Miracle (Economics 1955-1972)

    The Economic Miracle period witnessed, as its name suggests, tremendous economic growth throughout Japan. However, that growth came at a cost to Japan's organized working class as well as white collar workers whose pursuit of productivity often compromised their health.

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    15 June 2026, 4:00 pm
  • 28 minutes 17 seconds
    Tolerance and Patience (Politics 1954-1972, Part 2)

    Ikeda Hayato managed to garner the necessary support to become the President of the LDP and the Prime Minister of Japan after Kishi Nobusuke's resignation in 1960. He would prove to be almost the polar opposite of his arch-conservative predecessor, creating much of the social safety net which Japan continues to enjoy today. His successor, Sato Eisaku, lobbied for the return of Okinawa Prefecture and was forced to wrangle with complicated geopolitical challenges and domestic disturbances.

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    8 June 2026, 4:00 pm
  • 39 minutes 51 seconds
    The Big Tent (Politics 1955-1972, Part 1)

    Conservatives and Leftists both experienced party mergers after the 1955 general election. However, it was the Liberal Democratic Party who would emerge as the big winner for the foreseeable future.

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    1 June 2026, 4:00 pm
  • 36 minutes 19 seconds
    Monsters Real and Imagined (Social Matters, 1945-1954)

    The Allied occupation changed Japan's social norms in a variety of ways. When the occupation ended, some of those changes would remain while others would fall by the wayside. In the midst of rebuilding, economic chaos, and privation, the Japanese film industry entered its golden age.

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    18 May 2026, 4:00 pm
  • 37 minutes 7 seconds
    A New Deal for Japan (Economics 1945-1954)

    Japan's economy expanded rapidly during the postwar rebuild - too rapidly. Hyperinflation created unrest and frustration which the labor movement hoped to harness. Meanwhile, the diet passed a sweeping land reform which radically transformed Japan's agrarian sector.

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    11 May 2026, 4:00 pm
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