Ian de Stains OBE
Former BBC producer and presenter, and BCCJ executive director based in Japan since 1976, de Stains is a writer and consultant.
Contributions
How the BBA began
Ghosts of the Tsunami
Heating up
Trump’s threat to leave Paris Accords draws UK–Japan response
A close-up on Japan
The silence of autism
Another illuminating look at autism
Key step
Theresa May’s Japan visit follows the path of past prime ministers
Free and Fair Trade?
What does the EU–Japan EPA mean for the UK?
Deep study
Japanese studies in Britain
Uneasy Lies the Head
Should the queen follow the emperor and step down?
An Alternative View
Another Kyoto by Alex Kerr
A Meeting of (Almost) Like Minds
Theresa May tackles the G7, election campaign
The Minimalist
Japan's new minimalist movement
An indomitable city
New book on Tokyo paints a picture of a city that is unrivalled in its uniqueness.
Arms and the Man
Can the UK have an ethical weapons export sector?
Scotland the brave?
Self-rule poll looms again
Eight million deities
The answer to “What is Shinto?”
Tale of two visits
UK and Japan contact with Donald Trump gets contrasting response
Japan street life
Blurred photos capture a country transformed
Fear of falling
Glimpses Over the Edge: People Displaced by Conflict, Violence and Persecution by Alexander Treves
Getting off to a shaky start
Challenges in the Year of the Rooster
A new take
ANJIN—The Life & Times of Samurai William Adams, 1564–1620 by Hiromi T. Rogers
Year of change
Looking back to 2016, and forward to 2017
The Imperial succession
The challenges of Imperial succession in Japan
New ground
New scholarly study of a commanding figure in Japanese literature
A unique record
New volume of UK–Japan biographical portrait series
Water, water everywhere
Marine pollution threatens ocean life, as well as humans
Unique publishing project
This is a seriously beautiful book that would make a fine addition to anyone’s library
Opting Out
There may be fewer hikikomori, but social pressures will continue to create them
The English Willow and Japan
A beautifully produced volume of “Twaiku”
Should the Emperor Abdicate?
Japan wrestles with issues of the monarchy, as the UK did in the 1930s
Climate change debate
A world divided
Face to face with dying
Reflections without self-pity
Tale of a double agent
The lives of Guy Burgess
What was BIC?
British Industry Centre gave hope to new firms in Japan
A slice of social history
Builders of bonds
Forty years on
Reflecting on Japan experiences
Decline and fall
The life of a showman
Japan hosts the G7
Hot agenda topics
Terror and the threat of it
Events in Europe and Asia
Guru shares how to tidy up
Restore order in your life
Breaking records
Famous book creates own personal best
Monkey business
What does 2016 hold for Abe and Cameron?
A touch of Frost
At the cutting edge of media
Politics and people
Japan and Refugees
Japan and the refugee issue
Climate change conference 21
Have we reached a deal?
A love letter
Divided by a common language
Welcome to Japan
Making room for the growing tourist influx
Britain’s last 20 years
A look at the country’s major privatisations
400 seconds to change the world
NPOs take on snappy format at community hub showcase
From outside looking in
Developing soft skills through public speaking
Breakfast Toastmasters at 25
The most ambitious free-trade agreement?
A closer look at the TPP
Extreme weather raises climate concerns
Is it too late?
Lost for words?
Here’s a volume that just might help . . .
Under the skin of the BBC
The players who shaped the institution
Calling the BBC to account
A shaky financial future
Exposing harsh truths
Themes of memory and loss
Timeless treasures
Scots custodian of history sets up in Tokyo
A sustainable economy, gender equality and more trade
Scotland the brave
Is Japan ready for same-sex marriage?
Anglophile par excellence
A lifetime of service to Japan−UK relations
Prime minister’s questions
Abe stirs up controversy, Cameron faces a challenge
Speak the speech, I pray you
The life of an actor
The disunited kingdom?
Election results spell change for British politics
A prince re-visited
Personal search for a role
Out of gear
The role of public broadcasters
Books do make a room
The joy of reading from paper and ink
Stepping out in style
A personal account of an extraordinary life
“Grief is not a one-way street in Japan”
This book has aspects of a journal, a historical narrative and a cultural guide.
Bigotry writ large
Ayako Sono's idea of segregating living areas in Japan according to race has caused controversy.
What price freedom of speech?
The right to free speech may come with responsibilities but it should be protected.
Current issues in historic context
This book examines what hinders freedom in Japan.
A look back at 2014
The year has seen a number of global, economic and environmental issues come to the fore.
Considering the hypothetical
This book examines possible answers to strange questions.
A Little Dark British Humour
This book explores the life and thoughts of comedian John Cleese.
The Elusive Third Arrow
While the Abenomics approach to bring economic well-being has had limited success, a snap election may get it back on target.
A dash of flavour chemistry
This book explores the secrets of umami, the fifth taste.
Who Shall Inherit the Earth?
Environmental laureates urge global citizens to agree on actions to address climate change.
A time and place unpeeled
An Encyclopaedia of Myself explores the life and times of Brit Jonathan Meades.
Get Ready, on Your Marks …
As Tokyo prepares for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the country has lessons to learn to achieve success.
A writer’s responsibility
How the role a journalist plays can shape society, for better or worse.
I’ll drink to that
Sake Confidential unlocks the mysteries of Japan's national drink.
European Union: stay in or get out?
Withdrawal could lessen appeal of UK as a regional headquarters for Japanese firms.
Examining the events of 1945
Year Zero explores a year that marked dramatic changes in the world.
The haggis vote
The people of Scotland get set to decide their future in the upcoming referendum on independence.
Identity in the face of crises
Burnt Shadows explores world-changing events through a story about love and war.
Veering to the Right
The election results for the European Parliament cause a stir in the UK and across Europe.
A look again at article 9
Regional territorial disputes beg questions on Japan's constitution.
Reviews
The art lover's guide to Japanese museums; Surviving the 2011 Tsunami
NOTHING SHORT OF GENIUS
Good short fiction has all the components of a fine novel: The shorter the story, the more skilful the writer needs to be.
Death penalty: for and against
The release of a death row inmate following new DNA evidence shows the need for a review of executions.
A commanding read on all things Japanese
This is the most important book on Japan to be published in the last two decades.
Here’s to a safe haven for D&I
The need could not be greater for “a safe, positive and nurturing environment” if Japan is to avoid a bleak future.
History in the making
This 350-page publication masterfully examines the process by which Japan developed from a feudal society into a national state.
Stormy Weather
What more will it take to persuade people that if we continue to treat our planet as we do currently, it will soon be too late?
From the Horse’s Mouth
In this Year of the Horse, the Tokyo governor’s race and the Sochi Winter Olympics are events to watch.
The Man Behind the Curtain
This biography of Laurence Olivier looks closely at the star's personal life and the demons that drove him.
Book reviews
The Road to Recovery; Three-Dimensional Reading