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Podcast Episode

Episode 637 - The Catastrophe, Part 5

History of Japan··20 August 2026·37 min

About this episode

After Tokyo was burned to the ground, the battle over how to rebuild it began almost immediately. The man leading the charge--one of Japan's foremost bureaucrats--would become so frustrated with the experience that it would crush him completely. In the process, the fight would reveal some deep divisions over the importance of the capital and the nature of the postwar state itself. Show notes here.