Cracking The Crab: Russian Espionage Against Japan, From Peter the Great to Richard Sorge

Cracking the Crab tells the extraordinary full story of Russian intrigue targeting Japan, from first encounters in the eighteenth century to the Soviet declaration of war in August 1945. Colourful episodes include Gojong, King of Korea, being smuggled into the Russian legation dressed as a woman in 1896; the 1927 ‘Tanaka Memorial’, an infamous forgery purporting to be Japan’s hidden plan for world domination; and the secret intelligence of ‘Nero’, a Soviet agent supplying invaluable insight into Japanese strategy during the Second World War.

From Russians murdered in broad daylight in Meiji Tokyo to Soviet honey traps and ‘white magic’ at the Battle of Nomonhan, this is a landmark history of the covert struggle between two great powers of the modern age.

You can find the book available on Amazon here

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This event is a part of YCAPS' "Getting to Know Japan Series".

Speaker:

Dr. James D.J. Brown, Ph.D. is a Professor of Political Science at Temple University, Japan Campus. His research centres on Russia-Japan relations. Dr. Brown regularly writes op-eds, including for Nikkei Asia, The Japan Times, and The Diplomat. He also writes in Russian and Japanese, including for the Carnegie Moscow Center and Nikkei Business. He is also frequently quoted in the media, including by The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Yomiuri Shimbun, Hokkaido Shimbun, and the BBC. For a more robust bio please see his faculty page here: https://www.tuj.ac.jp/about/faculty-staff/james-brown

Format: This event will be off-the-record.

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Moderators: Amani Kidd and Jeffery Mazziotta

Webinar Cost: Free of charge