While in Tokyo, I spent an enjoyable morning at the offices of Iwanami Shoten, speaking with Rikkyo University historian Hiro Matsubara for Sekai, a leading Japanese political monthly. We covered a wide range of issues related to North American regionalism and American Nations.
Dr. Matsubara’s article is in the current issue of the magazine, for those of you who both read Japanese and subscribe. If you’re part of that cohort, consider the Japanese edition of American Nations, published by Iwanami.
I was in Japan to speak at the Asahi Forum, but also was able to speak to seminars at Tokyo University and Kyoto’s Doshisha University, and wrote about Maine retailer L.L. Bean’s success in Japan for the Portland Press Herald.
(Here, for search purposes, is the Japanese title:)

COLIN WOODARD is a New York Times bestselling author, historian and award-winning journalist. He is the author of seven books that have been translated into a dozen foreign languages and inspired an NBC television drama. He is currently Director of Nationhood Lab at the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Affairs at Salve Regina University. As State and National Affairs Writer at Maine's Portland Press Herald, he won a 2012 George Polk Award and was a finalist for a 2016 Pulitzer Prize. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, The Economist, Smithsonian and dozens of other major publications.