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PODCAST

The East Angle

In this podcast, two University of East Anglia academics working on Japan, Ra Mason and Sherzod Muminov, discuss the history, politics, current affairs, and sports of the so-called East in the broad sense of the term (that also includes the vast post-Soviet space) but with a specific focus on Japan. In each episode, we do so with the help and insights of our guests, who are often but not always practicing academics, thinkers, and writers. Our goal is to have informal discussions on a region that

society & culture

All Episodes

00:45:01

We invited a colleague and a student to ask about...

The East Angle ·

2025/11/01

In this episode, we sit down with a colleague, Dr Georgia Walker-Churchman, and a master’s student, Mr Kevin Revell, who both recently travelled to Japan. We were curious to hear about their experiences firsthand. The resulting conversation was full of curiosities for us. From favourite discoveries and cultural surprises to moments of challenge, we discussed what it was like for our guests to encounter Japan beyond the classroom — the delights, the curiosities, and the occasional frustrations of

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00:58:13

From Union Jacks to the LDP and the Premier League:...

The East Angle ·

2025/09/28

In this episode, the hosts Ra and Sherzod dive into England’s heated flag-hanging debate that has dominated the news over the past few weeks (with a local twist as Ra provides an eye-witness account of a nervy encounter), unpack the candidates and stakes in Japan’s LDP leadership race, and gear up for the excitement of the new football season.

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01:02:57

Beyond Pokémon, Anime and Sushi: The Real Story of...

The East Angle ·

2025/08/29

This week's guest is a former student of one of the hosts, Sherzod, and current supervisee of the other, Ra.Heather Faure is writing a dissertation on Japan's soft power, which she says explains the nation's rising popularity globally, including nations where the memory of its expansionist empire and war conduct remains a divisive issue.We talked about soft power as a concept and its impact and importance in the world dominated (and divided, some would say) by social media, with Japan as

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01:00:50

The End of Expertise: In a Divided World Full of...

The East Angle ·

2025/07/26

In a post-truth world where more and more people get their news and knowledge from social media or other non-traditional sources, does expertise count anymore? The spread of mobile phones and high-speed internet has enabled unprecedented levels of access to information, but how does one navigate this knowledge maze without the help of experts?To discuss these and other questions, we invited our colleague Dr Anuradha Sajjanhar, who teaches politics and public policy at the University of East Anglia,

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00:57:34

Why is everyone crazy about immigration?

The East Angle ·

2025/06/14

For this episode, we invited our UEA colleague Dr Juvaria Jafri to discuss the hot topic of our times - immigration. Why has immigration become such a controversial issue? Why do all the so-called First World countries worry about the growing number of migrants despite the fact that these very countries depend on immigration for maintaining their population and employment levels?The conversation became emotional - partly because Juvaria and Sherzod are immigrants themselves and have navigated the

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00:52:51

Why decolonize the curriculum and wider society? A...

The East Angle ·

2025/04/25

We invited our postgraduate student, Anastassia Melnikov, to this episode for a refreshing perspective on the university, society, and the world.Anastassia has a unique family history. A child of Soviet parents who fought against authoritarianism, she grew up in several countries and experienced a variety of cultures and lifestyles. Having gained her first degree in the United States, Anastassia decided to come to the University of East Anglia because of the diversity of its curricula and the

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00:44:05

Is Trump courting Russia because he is worried about...

The East Angle ·

2025/04/16

What lessons can we draw from the Soviet Union's Cold War bid to Run the World, which is the title of the latest book by the historian Sergey Radchenko? What does Russia's sense of historic destiny tell us about its relations with the West and China? Hosts Ra and Sherzod discussed these and some other questions with Prof. Radchenko in this episode of the podcast.Brief bio: Sergey Radchenko is the Wilson E. Schmidt Distinguished Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International

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01:11:24

Were atomic bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki an...

The East Angle ·

2025/03/20

In this episode Ra and Sherzod welcomed Ran Zwigenberg, a scholar of Japanese and world history and associate professor at Penn State. A prize-winning historian, Ran is one of the most eclectic and interesting scholars currently writing on Japan, war memory, castles, history of psychiatry and other topics. We discussed the aftermath of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Ran's opinion on why Japan still matters, a history of human remains (Ran's current research) and, of course,

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01:07:20

Will Trump's deal for Ukraine be good for the world?

The East Angle ·

2025/02/19

Recorded as Marco Rubio prepared to meet with a Russian delegation in Saudi Arabia and European leaders gathered in Paris, this episode has the hosts disagreeing on Trump's approach to the Ukraine War. They also talked about philosopher kings and the evolution of Kaoru Mitoma as the most "un-Japanese" Japanese player in world football.

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00:46:46

New podcast season! A chat on Okinawa, culture wars,...

The East Angle ·

2025/02/01

With Ra in sunnier places than the cold and grey England, the hosts recorded the January episode online, discussing such diverse topics as the state of Okinawa and Japan, latest edition of culture wars in Britain and long-running exploitation in Japan, as well as social issues. Moving on to lighter subjects, Sherzod shared his excitement about the first ever Uzbek player to play int he Premier League - the defender Abdukodir Khusanov, who just joined Manchester City.

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00:52:16

Episode 7 (Christmas Edition): How does Japan do...

The East Angle ·

2024/12/21

In this final episode of 2024 the hosts Ra Mason and Sherzod Muminov discussed the major events of the outgoing year. They also talked about Christmas in Japan (and the Soviet Union), questioned whether Japan can be optimistic going forward, and asked why baseball is more popular in Japan than football (or soccer, if you're in America).

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00:37:59

Episode 6: What Trump's victory will mean for Japan,...

The East Angle ·

2024/12/05

Paul O'Shea is a specialist in the international relations of East Asia and a senior lecturer at Lund University in Sweden. We asked him about the implications of Trump's upcoming second term for Japan and East Asia, the political crises in the leading democracies, the cost of living crisis, immigration, populism and, as always, football.

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00:35:02

Episode 5: With the author Nick Bradley

The East Angle ·

2024/11/03

We invited the writer Nick Bradley to this episode of the podcast to discuss novels, Japan, AI and other things. Nick Bradley is a graduate of the UEA Creative Writing MA. He also completed his PhD at the UEA, where he researched the figure of the cat in Japanese literature. Nick's first book, The Cat and the City, was published in 2021, and his second novel, Four Seasons in Japan, came out in the summer of 2024.

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00:31:07

Episode 4: Kishida's Legacy and Challenges Faced by...

The East Angle ·

2024/10/10

In this brief episode, Ra and Sherzod discuss the challenges faced by Japan's new prime minister and assess the legacy of the now former PM Kishida.

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00:50:58

Episode 3: War in Ukraine

The East Angle ·

2024/08/30

This episode is recorded in collaboration with the East Centre - University of East Anglia's Centre for the Study of East-Central Europe and the former Soviet Space.Ra and Sherzod are joined by Dr Francis King and Dr Olga Sovenko to discuss the war in Ukraine from historical, sociological, and international political perspectives. Dr King is a Lecturer in European History in the School of History, UEA, where he teaches modules on Soviet and Eastern European History. Dr Sovenko is a Ukrainian

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00:45:56

Episode 2: What is this podcast? And What's Japan's...

The East Angle ·

2024/06/30

In this episode the hosts Ra Mason and Sherzod Muminov introduce both the podcast and themselves to the audience. They talk about the backstory of the East Angle, their own strange experiences in Japan before turning to the big question: "What's Japan's Place in the World?" Finally, they end the podcast with a discussion of football and Euro 2024.

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01:02:10

Episode 1: Gender Issues in Japan

The East Angle ·

2024/05/31

Why does Japan, one of the leading nations in the world, lag behind when it comes gender equality? What should change in society for gender equality to be achieved?In this first episode of The East Angle, hosts Ra Mason and Sherzod Muminov discuss gender issues in Japan with Mami Mizutori, a top Japanese diplomat who until recently served as Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, and Hannah Osborne, a scholar of Japanese literature at the University of East Anglia.

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