Gennifer Weisenfeld, an art historian specializing in modern Japan, discusses her latest work, which examines the visual culture of civil air defense during wartime. She reveals how society balanced fear with creativity, using intriguing images of gas masks and fashionable promotions for children. Sheldon Garon, a historian at Princeton, adds perspectives on Japan's global role and the psychological effects of anticipatory fear felt before air raids. Together, they explore the complex interplay between horror and the mundane in wartime Japan's cultural landscape.
