Japanese Modernity Podcast

Christopher Gerteis brings an academic perspective to modern and contemporary Japanese history with this Substack-based podcast. The show zeroes in on the period from Meiji-era industrialization through the present day, covering ground that many Japan history podcasts only reach after hundreds of episodes. Episodes tackle specific themes rather than following a strict chronological sequence: the rise and fall of the Japanese Red Army, the myth of the Japanese middle class, postwar political stability and its discontents, labor and gender dynamics during industrialization, and the empty homes crisis facing modern Japan. At around 15 minutes per episode, Gerteis keeps things focused and efficient, delivering the kind of concise analysis you might get from a well-prepared university lecture. The show runs two parallel series, the main Japanese Modernity Podcast and a supplementary Deep Dive Podcast, totaling 11 episodes so far. It is a relatively new show, having launched in 2024, and does not yet have listener reviews on Apple Podcasts. But the content fills a genuine gap in the English-language podcast landscape, which tends to be heavy on premodern and wartime Japan while largely ignoring the postwar period. If you want to understand how Japan got from the Meiji Restoration to the present without wading through hundreds of hours of earlier history first, this is a smart place to start.