The End of the World! Japanese Apocalypse, Part 2

In part two of this three part episode, we're looking at the apocalyptic and dystopian fiction of Japan.

We'll begin with the evolution of the idea of "the end of the world" in Japan, especially after Japan started importing American and European science fiction. We'll move on to Japanese apocalyptic stories, especially between 1945 and the 1970s and then during the 1970s and 1980s.

CW: brief mentions of historical and fictional violence and rape

Part two mistakenly implies Jules Verne was an Anglo-American author.  As outlined in part one, he was French.

Notes and sources on the episode page. Transcript available.

This episode’s artwork is adapted from a photograph by Du Truong, “The Student of Gunkanjima”. Gunkanjima, also known as Hashima Island, is an abandoned island in Nagasaki Prefecture. Truong’s work is available under a Creative Commons license.

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