In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. James D.J. Brown, Professor of Political Science at Temple University’s Japan Campus and one of the leading experts on Russo-Japanese relations. His research focuses on the history and geopolitics between Japan and Russia, including territorial disputes, diplomacy, and security issues in Northeast Asia.
We discuss his new book, Cracking the Crab: Russian Espionage Against Japan, from Peter the Great to Richard Sorge. The book traces more than three centuries of Russian intelligence activity directed at Japan—from early explorers and castaways gathering information during the era of Japanese isolation, to the famous Soviet spy Richard Sorge and his network in Tokyo before World War II.
Along the way, Brown reveals how espionage shaped the relationship between the two countries, how spies operated in one of the world’s most closed societies, and why Japan was often seen by Russian intelligence as a “crab”—hard on the outside but vulnerable once its shell was cracked.
Links & Resources:
- Cracking the Crab: Russian Espionage Against Japan, from Peter the Great to Richard Sorge
- Japan, Russia and their Territorial Dispute: The Northern Delusion
- FCCJ Book Break: James D.J. Brown, author of "Cracking the Crab"
- Qui etes-vous, Monsieur Sorge? (Old French Film on Sorge)
- Richard Sorge, Master Spy (Recent Russian series on Sorge)
- Cracking the Crab (outro)
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