I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoyed learning about this book early SF novel from Japan. In this essay, Eli K.P William details the novel’s plot and puts it into its historical context, explaining why it should be regarded as science fiction and also just how the author is doing exceptionally clever things politically and socially. It makes me quite sad there’s no English translation! And it’s interesting to think about how people have been using science fiction to comment on contemporary issues for a very, very long time…