Japan

Japanese Americans stand in front of a poster with internment orders.

California to Apologize for Incarceration of Japanese Americans During WWII

In new legislation, the state will own up to its role in the years-long detention that began in 1942

A Ludus Latrunculorum board found in Roman Britain

The Best Board Games of the Ancient World

Thousands of years before Monopoly, people were playing games like Senet, Patolli and Chaturanga

Great Nature, Storm on Mount Lyell from Johnson Peak by Chiura Obata, 1939

How Japanese Artist Chiura Obata Came to Be an American Great

With landscapes infused with an emotion borne of a life of struggle, this master receives his due in this traveling retrospective now at the Smithsonian

Untitled image from Restricted Residence

Nearly a Decade After Fukushima, Photos Capture Residents' Bittersweet Return

A new photo series titled “Restricted Residence” features 42 thermal images of locals and their changed landscape

Giichi Matsumura was one of 11,000 Japanese-Americans interned at the Manzanar War Relocation Center during World War II.

Remains of Japanese-American Internment Camp Detainee Found on California Mountain

In 1945, Giichi Matsumura set off for the Sierra Nevada mountains. He never came back

The October 31 fire destroyed seven buildings and was probably started by an electrical fault.

Volunteers Digitally Revive Japan's Shuri Castle Following October Fire

The group is seeking one million images in order to create a high-quality reconstruction

When the special finally aired in 1964, it became such a hit that it has been rebroadcast every year since, making it the longest-running Christmas special in history.

The Magical Animation of 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'

The Christmas television special—the longest running in history—was groundbreaking in its use of stop-motion animation with puppets

Boy Viewing Mount Fuji by Katsushika Hokusai, 1839

A Great Wave of Hokusai

The Freer Gallery—home to the largest collection of the popular Japanese artist’s paintings—unveils 120 rarely seen works

This aerial picture shows Shuri Castle after a fire ripped through the historic site in Naha, Japan's southern Okinawa prefecture, on October 31

Fire Ravages Japanese Heritage Site Shuri Castle

The castle, first built more than 500 years ago, was seen as a symbol of the dynamic Ryukyu Kingdom

Dishes and bottles found at the site in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve.

Hidden Japanese Settlement Found in Forests of British Columbia

More than 1,000 items have been unearthed there, among them rice bowls, sake bottles and Japanese ceramics

Minke whale on a whaling ship in a Hokkaido port on July 1, 2019.

Japan Resumes Commercial Whaling in Its Home Waters

As of yesterday, the whaling fleet had caught 2 minke whales and set a quota of 227 animals for the rest of 2019

In this handout image provided by Imperial Household Agency, Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko attend the abdication ceremony at the Imperial Palace on April 30, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan.

For the First Time in 200 Years, Japan’s Emperor Has Abdicated the Throne

Emperor Akihito has voluntarily passed the title on to his son, Crown Prince Naruhito

Nostalgia in a can

You Can Buy a Tin of Air to Commemorate the End of the Heisei Era

The nostalgic keepsake goes up for sale in advance of Emperor Akihito's abdication

This photo taken on March 29, 2018 shows Michiko Sato, sister-in-law of Yumi Sato, who was sterilized as a teenager, talking during an interview with Agence France-Presse prior to a meeting with lawmakers in Tokyo.

Japan Offers Apology and Compensation to Victims of Forced Sterilization

Between 1948 and 1993, an estimated 25,000 people were sterilized to prevent them from having ‘poor-quality descendants’

Cherry blossoms in peak bloom on April 1, 2019 at Washington's Tidal Basin.

Take In the Scene of Washington's Cherry Blossoms at Peak Bloom

The trees’ spring beauty should be on full display for about a week, the National Park Service reports

Young Yoshiko Hide Kishi moved with her family to the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center; "It's important to educated people about what happened," she recently told Smithsonian curators.

The Complex Role Faith Played for Incarcerated Japanese-Americans During World War II

Smithsonian curator of religion Peter Manseau weighs in on a history that must be told

“[My dad] was assigned this jacket [at a camp in Bismarck, North Dakota], and it’s like new because he refused to wear it,” says Satsuki Ina

What This Jacket Tells Us About the Degrading Treatment of Japanese-Americans During WWII

An exhibit in San Francisco explores the dark chapter in American history when the government imprisoned its own citizens

Ice and wind turn turn Japan's Maries’ fir trees into frozen figures.

Arboreal 'Snow Monsters' Overrun Northern Japan Every Winter

Ice and wind transform these high altitude fir trees of into real-life White Walkers

Threatened Bluefin Tuna Sells for Record $3 Million in New Year's Sale

The 612-pound fish will go to a sushi restaurant, but without intervention the prized species will not be on the plate for much longer

Harpoon aboard a Japanese whaling ship

Japan to Launch Commercial Whaling Operations This Summer

The country has announced that it is leaving the International Whaling Commission

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