Nick Kapur

Nick Kapur
OccupationHistorian
Academic background
EducationStanford University (MA)
Harvard University (PhD)
Academic work
DisciplineHistory
Sub-disciplineHistory of Japan, United States–Japan relations
InstitutionsRutgers University–Camden
Notable worksJapan at the Crossroads: Conflict and Compromise after Anpo (2018)

Nick Kapur is an American historian of modern Japan and an associate professor of history at Rutgers University–Camden. His research focuses on modern Japanese political and cultural history, social movements, and United States–Japan relations.[1] He is the author of the book Japan at the Crossroads: Conflict and Compromise after Anpo (2018), a widely-cited study of the 1960 Anpo protests in Japan.

Academic career

Kapur received his Ph.D. in Japanese history from Harvard University, where he studied under historians Akira Iriye and Andrew Gordon.[2] Kapur joined the faculty of Rutgers University–Camden in 2014 as a historian specializing in Japanese, East Asian, and global history.[3]

In addition to traditional scholarship, Kapur has participated in digital humanities projects, including serving as project manager for the Japan Disasters Digital Archive and devising educational interactive simulations of Japan's Sengoku period.[4][5] Kapur has also been involved in organizing scholarly networks in the field of Japanese history, including playing a leading role in the founding of the Modern Japan History Association.[6][7]

Kapur is frequently interviewed by mainstream media outlets as an expert on postwar Japanese history and politics.[8][9][10][11] He has also gained mainstream media attention for his public engagement on social media, such as a viral thread on Chinese nicknames for NBA players,[12] or a viral thread on a mythical "killing stone" in Japan.[13]

Awards and fellowships

  • Japan Foundation Fellowship, 2025
  • Mike and Maureen Mansfield U.S.-Japan Network for the Future Fellowship, 2022-2024
  • Fulbright Fellowship, 2008-2009

Works

Books

  • Kapur, Nick (2018). Japan at the Crossroads: Conflict and Compromise after Anpo. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674988484.

Selected articles

  • Kapur, Nick (2025). "The Invention of the Kamikaze: Dissent and Resistance in the Japanese Military". The Journal of Military History.
  • Kapur, Nick (2022). "The Japanese Student Movement in the Cold War Crucible, 1945–1972". Asia-Pacific Journal.
  • Kapur, Nick (2018). "The Empire Strikes Back? The 1968 Meiji Centennial Celebrations and the Revival of Japanese Nationalism". Japanese Studies.

Other writing

Kapur has also written essays and commentary on Japanese politics and protest movements for public-facing publications and academic commentary forums.[14][15]

Reception

Japan at the Crossroads: Conflict and Compromise after Anpo has been positively received by historians of modern Japan in leading academic journals and other publications. Reviewers have emphasized the book’s detailed archival research, its clear narrative of the political struggles surrounding the 1960 renewal of the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty, and its broader interpretation of the long-term consequences of the Anpo protests for Japanese politics and culture.[16][17][18][19]

References

  1. ^ "The Politics of Anti-Politics in Postwar and Contemporary Japan". MacMillan Center for International Studies at Yale. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  2. ^ "Politics and Non-Politics in Japan, 1968–Present". Stanford University Department of History. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  3. ^ "Professor Nick Kapur Launches Our Global History Track". Rutgers University-Camden Graduate History Blog. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  4. ^ Peterson, Alyssa. "Participatory Crisis Archiving: The Japan Disasters Digital Archive". Not Even Past. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  5. ^ "The Politics of Non-Politics in Japan, 1968-Present". Stanford University Department of History. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  6. ^ "The Politics of Non-Politics in post-1960s Japan". Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  7. ^ "The Politics of Non-Politics in post-1960s Japan". Australian National University Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  8. ^ "An Obscure Communist Newspaper is Shaping Japan's Politics: Stories by Shimbun Akahata Consistently Pack a Punch". The Economist. April 18, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  9. ^ "Shinzo Abe's Party Triumphs in Parliamentary Vote, Extending Legacy". The New York Times. July 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  10. ^ "Why the Governing Party Election Is the Main Event in Japan". The New York Times. September 28, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  11. ^ "Long Quiet, Japanese Youths Find Their Voice in Protesting Defense Reforms". The Christian Science Monitor. August 13, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  12. ^ "Fly High, Frog Princess! Well Done, Chen No. 3!". The New York Times. March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  13. ^ "A 'Killing Stone' Broke in Japan. Is a Demon on the Loose?". The New York Times. February 15, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  14. ^ Kapur, Nick. "Japan's Brand Is Stronger than Ever. Japan Inc. Must Tap into It". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  15. ^ Kapur, Nick. "When Revolutions Fail". Critical Asian Studies. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  16. ^ Siniawer, Eiko Maruko (2020). "Review of Japan at the Crossroads: Conflict and Compromise after Anpo". American Historical Review. 125 (3): 1008–1009. doi:10.1093/ahr/rhz602.
  17. ^ Heitzman, Kendall (2022). "Review of Japan at the Crossroads: Conflict and Compromise after Anpo". Journal of Asian Studies. 81 (2): 415–417. doi:10.1017/S0021911822000298.
  18. ^ Avenell, Simon (2020). "Review of Japan at the Crossroads: Conflict and Compromise after Anpo". Journal of Japanese Studies. 46 (1): 244–248. doi:10.1353/jjs.2020.0030.
  19. ^ Jones, Colin. "After the Uprising: The Anpo Treaty Protests and the Unmaking of Japan's Postwar Left". The Nation. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
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